Chief of Police

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CHIEF OF POLICE

FULL-TIME EXEMPT

Starting annual salary: $110,000 - $120,000

Open until filled

The City of Belen, located in the heart of the Rio Grande Valley, is a historic and growing community serving as a regional center for commerce and transportation in Valencia County. Known as “The Hub City,” Belen offers a strong sense of community, affordable living and convenient access to the Albuquerque metropolitan area.

Belen’s strategic location along Interstate 25, with three major exits, places the community in a position of both opportunity and challenge. Proximity to a major metropolitan area brings increased demands related to homelessness, substance abuse, transient populations and regional criminal activity. As the city continues to grow, strong, visible, and accountable law enforcement leadership is essential to maintaining public safety and community trust.

The City of Belen is seeking a highly structured, policy-driven, and forward-thinking Police Chief to lead the Belen Police Department during a period of growth and evolving public safety challenges. The ideal candidate is a disciplined and ethical leader who is not afraid to implement necessary change, enforce clear policies, and hold officers to the highest professional and ethical standards.

This is a hands-on, working Police Chief position. The Chief is expected to remain actively involved in departmental operations and serve as a visible presence within both the organization and the community. Responsibilities may include responding to scenes, managing active incidents, running calls for service and conducting traffic stops when appropriate.

The successful candidate must be knowledgeable and responsive to current public safety issues affecting the city, county, state and nation, including homelessness, drug-related activity, mental health crises and regional crime trends influenced by proximity to the Albuquerque metro area.

• Provide strong, ethical, and transparent leadership to all Police Department personnel
• Develop, implement, and enforce departmental policies, procedures, and operational standards
• Foster a culture of accountability, professionalism and continuous improvement
• Oversee departmental operations, staffing, budgeting, training and long-term planning
• Ensure compliance with all federal, state and local laws, accreditation standards and reporting requirements

• Serve as a working Police Chief maintaining operational readiness and situational awareness
• Respond to critical incidents, major calls for service and emergencies as required
• Participate directly in field operations including responding to scenes, running calls and conducting traffic stops when appropriate
• Provide real-time leadership and decision-making during active incidents
• Maintain all required certifications and training to perform sworn law enforcement duties

• Lead efforts to address challenges related to homelessness, substance abuse mental health response and regional criminal activity
• Develop and implement data-driven strategies to reduce crime and improve public safety outcomes
• Strengthen collaboration with Valencia County neighboring jurisdictions and state and federal law enforcement partners
• Ensure the Department remains current on best practices, legal requirements and emerging trends in modern policing

• Build and maintain strong relationships with residents businesses and community organizations
• Promote transparency fairness and effective communication between the Police Department and the public
• Represent the City and Police Department at regional meetings task forces and community events

• Hold officers and staff to the highest standards of conduct ethics performance
• Oversee internal investigations discipline and corrective actions as necessary
• Promote ongoing training in de-escalation crisis intervention community policing officer wellness