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Hobbs police and fire chiefs respond to newspaper allegations; police department earns state accreditation

5764073 · January 6, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Police Chief August Fonz and Hobbs Fire Department leadership addressed recent newspaper allegations about HPD culture, called the reports one-sided, and the city manager reported that HPD earned a three-year accreditation from the New Mexico Law Enforcement Standards Council.

Police Chief August Fonz told the commission he "vehemently disagree[s] with any allegation that this organization is racist or exclusive in any way," calling recent newspaper articles about the Hobbs Police Department "one-sided" and urging anyone with questions to contact the department directly. Chief Fonz said HPD's mission and values require professionalism and accountability and described steps the department takes when standards are breached.

City Manager Gomez said the commission received a debriefing from Roberta Baca, the assessment team leader, and reported that the Hobbs Police Department…

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