New Mexico’s emergency declaration for the Española area prioritizes immediate, flexible support for overwhelmed local law enforcement rather than deploying additional state personnel, according to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office.
The $750,000 in emergency funding authorized under Executive Order 2025-358 Wednesday will directly support Rio Arriba County, Española and Pueblo police departments through overtime pay for officers, public safety equipment purchases and coordinated multi-agency interventions to combat violent crime and drug trafficking.
“With police calls doubling and business dispatches quadrupling in two years, these resources will provide immediate relief to overwhelmed local departments,” Deputy Communications Director Jodi McGinnis Porter said.
The approach reflects a strategy of reinforcing existing local capacity rather than imposing state control. While the emergency order includes standard language allowing for National Guard deployment, officials said there are no immediate plans to activate military personnel.
Instead, state and area public safety leadership are conducting what officials describe as a “comprehensive assessment” to identify specific resource gaps and direct funding where it can have the most immediate impact on the ground.
The funding structure is designed to remain flexible, allowing resources to shift toward the most critical needs as they’re identified through ongoing collaboration between state and local partners. This could include everything from additional patrol hours during high-crime periods to specialized equipment for drug interdiction efforts.
The coordinated approach acknowledges what officials describe as “interconnected challenges of crime, overdoses and community instability” that have pushed local departments beyond their operational limits. Rio Arriba County currently has the state’s highest overdose death rate, with fentanyl addiction driving much of the crisis.
By focusing on overtime funding, the order enables local departments to maintain extended patrol coverage and specialized operations without waiting for lengthy hiring and training processes for new officers. The equipment component addresses immediate tactical needs that local budgets may not accommodate.
The emergency declaration will remain active until the authorized funds are exhausted or local authorities determine additional state assistance is no longer necessary. Officials have not provided a specific timeline for the comprehensive assessment or indicated when the first resources might be deployed.