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Police to expand beat and bike coverage; ShotSpotter nearing full deployment; fire and dispatch report operational updates
Summary
Interim Police Chief Ben Valdez described a staffing redistribution that increased traffic and bike resources, proposed five funded officer positions to expand the bike team to 10, and said ShotSpotter is 50% operational; Interim Fire Chief Outkirk reported Engine 3 in service and summarized a recent hotel fire evacuation of roughly 145 guests; RECCC reported improving 911 answer rates and new hires arriving in late June.
Interim Police Chief Ben Valdez told the City of Santa Fe Public Safety Committee the department has redistributed resources to increase staffing in traffic, the bike team and the DWI unit and is assigning patrol officers to geographic beats to improve response and problem‑solving. "We increased staffing in our traffic section, which includes our bike team, our DWI team, and our motor unit," Valdez said, adding the change was intended to reduce minimum staffing shortfalls and to put proactive units into hotspot locations.
Valdez said the department expects to eliminate police officer vacancies by July as candidates complete final hiring steps and HR processes. He also reported discussions with the city manager and tourism director to add five budgeted officer positions; with that growth the department plans to double the bike team from its current four officers and one sergeant to a target 10‑member team (two sergeants, eight officers). He noted that the city’s e‑bike ordinance limits motor assist to 28 mph and that enforcement decisions must account for officer safety and pursuit policy.
On technology and enforcement, Valdez said the city is 50% operational with ShotSpotter in the deployed footprint and expects full activation by week’s end; he said the department will publish monthly ShotSpotter incident numbers to the committee and recommended not disclosing exact device locations to avoid vandalism.
Interim Fire Chief Outkirk reported that Engine 3 was placed in service this week and provided a detailed account of a recent hotel fire: crews evacuated an estimated 92 rooms and approximately 145 guests, used roughly 3,000 gallons of water, breached void spaces to reach the fire (which traveled inside wall voids up three stories) and contained the blaze to one wing. He confirmed the sprinkler system did not activate in the affected void space because there were no sprinkler heads in the compartment where the fire started.
RECCC Director Luhan reported May 2026 call volumes (27,795 total calls; 6,666 911 calls) and said the PAP answer rate for May was 86.99% but improved to 89.52% after a May 16 shift change; dispatch vacancies stood at 11 and a small hiring class (four recruits) will begin on June 27. All operations leaders said they are preparing staffing plans for Fourth of July events and special events at new venues.
What happens next: Police will pursue funding and scheduling for five new positions and seek to expand the bike team, staff will publish ShotSpotter status when fully live and RECCC will provide metrics and staffing updates at future meetings.
