Espanola Interim Police Chief Mizel A. Garcia has named the next Chief of Police of the Espanola Police Department Friday. Courtesy photo

CITY OF ESPANOLA NEWS RELEASE

Española Mayor John Ramon Vigil announced his appointment Friday of Mizel A. Garcia to be the next Chief of Police of the Española Police Department.  Vigil thanked his transition team for their diligence in screening the applications.  “We had 34 applications for Chief,” Vigil said, “I’m pleased to see this kind of interest in Española, and I appreciate how much work the transition team did to narrow it down to the three finalists.”

Vigil’s appointment of Garcia is subject to ratification by the Governing Body at its Board of Finance/City Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday, June 21.

The top three applicants selected for interview included current Interim Police Chief Mizel A. Garcia, a veteran of the Albuquerque police department who retired with 26 years of service after reaching the rank of Commander of Special Investigations & Operations.  Garcia has a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of New Mexico.

Also selected as finalists were Española Sgt. Monica Salazar and Las Cruces resident Latroyus Outlaw.  Salazar joined the city’s police department in 2020 with 13 years’ experience in law enforcement and a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from Boston University; she later withdrew from the process indicating she will be pursuing different opportunities. Outlaw is a retired Captain from the Starkville, Mississippi, police department with 26 years of law enforcement experience and a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from Troy University in Alabama.

“Interim Chief Garcia has proven his leadership and experience to lead our department, I am excited for what the future holds with his knowledge and skill set to focus on making Española a great place to live, work, and play,” said Vigil.

For more information call the City Clerk’s Office at (505) 747-6039.