The following content is part of Police1’s Police Leader Playbook, a resource aimed at helping new law enforcement leaders move beyond basic management and supervision skills and become inspirational leaders with integrity and passion. Through a handful of questions presented by Police1, veteran leaders reflect on their early days in leadership roles and offer advice, while newer leaders detail their experiences taking on a new position. Email editor@police1.com to offer your insights for the Police Leader Playbook.
Jeremy Story became chief of the Las Cruces Police Department (LCPD) in December 2023 after serving as the interim police chief since the retirement of former chief Miguel Dominguez in July 2023. Story has served with LCPD since graduating from the academy in 2007. In April 2025, he was recognized as Citizen of the Year by the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce during the Annual Chamber Celebration and Choice Awards held April 24, 2025. According to the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce, “Chief Jeremy Story was unanimously selected as 2025 Citizen of the Year for his leadership, compassion and commitment to our community and his team of officers.”
The Las Cruces Police Department has 220 commissioned officer positions and 120 professional staff, serving approximately 115,000 people and 77 square miles, with over 150,000 calls for service annually. Las Cruces is located about 40 minutes from El Paso, Texas and the southern border.
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What was the incident or person in your career that put you on the path to becoming a chief?
When I was out of field training, my first sergeant wrote my wife a letter expressing his confidence in me and his appreciation for my wife and kids’ sacrifice. She still has that letter framed in our house. His faith in me, along with that of many others, set me on the path to becoming chief one day. It wasn’t something I set out to do. I have been fortunate to have so many opportunities along the way, and they eventually led me to have stars on my collar.
What do you (or did you) want to accomplish, improve or make better in your first 30 days as chief, 6 months as chief and year as chief?
I was fortunate to come from within the organization. I did not have the learning curve an outside chief would have. My first 30 days focused on stability and maintaining momentum in key areas from my time as a deputy chief. My vision for the first six months and year was focused on growth in several key areas.
The first was to double down on evidence-based training practices. When quality training is a priority, it benefits everyone. One critical aspect of this was legal training. Like it or not, cops must know the law as well as attorneys these days. We hired a licensed attorney who is a police legal advisor. Among other things, he is great at teaching police officers the nuances of the law. I also wanted to continue implementing the crime-reduction strategies we had initiated and test their effectiveness regularly. One of my biggest goals was to do a better job of communicating with the public and telling our story. I found that we were doing many of the things people cried out for, but we weren’t educating the citizens about everything we were already doing. The officers deserve credit for how well they do their job.
The Las Cruces Police Department recently hosted a town hall with multiple breakout sessions that allowed attendees to interact with leaders of LCPD sections such as Internal Affairs, Criminal Investigations, Recruiting and Training, Patrol, Traffic and Community Outreach.
Photo/Las Cruces Police Department
How are you creating an organizational culture that people want to be a part of, to join and to stay?
If you are trying to create a culture where people want to stay and work hard, you must establish from the outset that you care about them and that they matter to you. This can be easier if you have risen from within the agency and have a history of taking care of people. If you establish upfront that you have their best interests in mind, the next step is to establish clear standards, explain the rationale behind them and provide the necessary resources to accomplish the mission. When breaches in standards occur, accountability must be established, which varies depending on the nature of the breach.
Human beings want to have a purpose. Give them that clear purpose, the tools to carry it out, and help when they need it. And whatever the standards are, everyone, including the chief, must be held to them. There’s a reason the Marine Corps tends not to experience the same recruiting issues as other branches, and it’s not because it’s easy (I might be a little biased as a Marine).
What’s your process for making major decisions?
It depends on the decision, but decisiveness favors a chief most of the time. I see many leaders get bogged down with decisions that should be made rapidly. As a chief, decisions will pile up quickly, and this can make everything stagnant. I am decisive on things that are of lower consequence. I rely on my very capable staff to vet certain things, such as new software, and I reserve most of my decision-making time for the ones that really matter. Learning to sort through decision-making tasks and assign a value to them is a critical skill for any administrator.
Las Cruces Police Chief Jeremy Story spoke during Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s bill-signing ceremony on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Santa Fe. The Governor signed legislation to improve public safety and behavioral health services across New Mexico. Lujan Grisham signed House Bill 8, Senate Bill 1 and Senate Bill 3 into law.
Photo/Las Cruces Police Department
How do you show your personnel that you are leading with these and other value-based behaviors?
I have spent my entire career within my department, and I have established a reputation for treating people fairly and not engaging in behavior that compromises my values. Of course, I am not perfect, and I try to own my mistakes and model accountability to my officers and staff. I have been an advocate for educating people about the realities of policing and how hard this career really is. Internally, our wellness program is designed to genuinely care for individuals, not just check a box. When officers need help, I get them to the right place so we can save their job, their family, and most importantly, themselves.
Leadership lightning round
What is a leadership book, podcast or seminar you’ve found invaluable?
There are so many good ones out there, but “I Love It Here” by Clint Pulver was a recent one that made me think.
How do you organize your schedule and stay on schedule?
I use Outlook calendar still, but incorporating the concepts in the book, “The 12 Week Year” can really help with prioritizing things.
If you knew the budget request would be approved, what’s a big purchase you’d make for your department today?
A new comprehensive training and wellness center that has everything you need to prepare officers for the streets and help them recover from what they deal with on those streets.
What is one way leaders can show they care about their people?
I have over 300 staff members, but I make an effort to have every person’s birthday in my calendar. I send them a text or email to say “Happy Birthday” and let them know I’m thinking of them.
At the end of the workday, how do you recharge?
I get home and cold plunge for a few minutes to reset everything.
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