Santa Fe police Chief Padilla announces plans to retire

Sep. 28—Chief Andrew Padilla announced Monday he plans to retire after 3 1/2 fast-moving and occasionally controversial years as head of the Santa Fe Police Department.

Padilla, who has been a cop in Santa Fe for 21 years, will retire Dec. 3, about a month after the conclusion of the city election in which a mayor will be elected by voters.

The upcoming election, he said, had nothing to do with his decision.

"I figured it was time to retire," Padilla said in an interview Monday. "It's been a great career with the police department. I brought the stability that I promised to the department over the last 3 1/2 years."

According to a city news release, Padilla's tenure as chief is the longest in 18 years. He led the department since the fall of 2017, serving as acting chief following the resignation of his predecessor, Patrick Gallagher. He was named to the job on a permanent basis by Mayor Alan Webber's administration in June 2018.

Padilla, an Española native, began his career as a patrol officer with the Santa Fe police in 2000 after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. He has served several positions within the department, including commander of the SWAT team and Special Operations and deputy chief of administration. He also spent time in patrol, as a field training officer, as a master firearms instructor and in criminal investigations.

Padilla spearheaded programs that placed an emphasis on community engagement, such as the Government Exploration Program, which taught high school students about public safety operations and aimed to inspire youth to pursue careers in public safety, according to a city news release. He also worked with the nonprofit Communities In Schools to raise awareness about speeding and with YouthWorks to prevent gang violence.

While chief, Padilla was credited with implementing departmentwide crisis intervention training and counseling services for police personnel, plus pay raises for officers and $15,000 signing bonuses for lateral officers.

City officials have said addressing personnel shortages in the department is critical, in part because departments in Albuquerque and elsewhere are poaching officers to deal with their own staffing issues.

As he steps away from leading Santa Fe's cops, Padilla said he looked to the future.

"I did my part here, and it's time for me to enjoy some time with my friends and family," Padilla said.

His time was not without controversy, perhaps exacerbated by a nationwide debate over law enforcement in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis during the summer of 2020.

In Santa Fe, the department's evidence room came under heavy scrutiny in 2020 after physical evidence collected during a sexual assault examination of a 4-year-old girl in a 2018 case went missing. In an email at the time, Padilla wrote that as the head of the department, he is responsible and accountable to the community, calling past practices in the evidence room "completely unacceptable."

Padilla also came under withering criticism when protesters tore down the Soldiers' Monument in the Plaza on Indigenous People's Day last year. The chief defended a commander's decision to have officers stand down during the protest, contending if they had remained at the scene the situation could have escalated to violence.

"It was preservation of life over property. I stand by that commander's decision," he said at the time. "It was the right decision. Had there been a threat to someone's life around the obelisk, the officers would have reengaged. The monument, yes, it's historical, but it's an object."

In a news release, Santa Fe City Manager Jarel LaPan Hill and Community Health and Safety Director Kyra Ochoa commended Padilla's work, including bringing "innovative approaches" to the many issues that face police.

Webber, who is running for reelection against City Councilor JoAnne Vigil Coppler and former congressional candidate Alexis Martinez Johnson, said the city is grateful for Padilla's work.

"I really appreciate and thank him for his service," Webber said. "He brought stability to the department and a sense of commitment to community outreach and engagement."

When asked if there were any successors in mind, Webber said the choice will take time.

"I don't think we're in any hurry to jump into naming a successor," Webber said. "There should be a very orderly and careful process for doing a recruitment outreach for internal candidates or people outside the current department. He's given us enough time so we don't have to rush."

Padilla said he is most proud of his work encouraging officers to become more connected to the community, though many Santa Fe officers live out of town.

"When I became chief of police, I encouraged officers to get out there and interact with their community, going door to door, to talk to neighbors, talk to the business owners that lived in the district they are patrolling," he said.

Padilla said he hopes his successor will work with Santa Fe's unique, multicultural heritage.

"Embrace change and truly listen to the community. Change is a slow process, it doesn't happen overnight," he said in response to a questions about advice he'd have for his successor.