Silver City Patrolman Bristan Lockett interviews Jose Acosta as his son, Michael Acosta, looks on. Officers are required to conduct a minimum of five such "community contacts" each month, as part of the department's ongoing community engagement initiatives.Traffic Issues, Homelessness are Top Concerns

Silver City -- Annual police community engagement data show that the vast majority of residents contacted feel that Silver City police officers are approachable and trustworthy, while residents' top concerns are traffic-related, along with various consequences of homelessness.

The data is based on the Silver City Police Department's (SCPD) ongoing "citizen contact" initiative, in which patrol officers simply ask citizens that they encounter during their shift if they may ask a few questions. Officers are expected to complete at least five contacts each month, then Chief Freddie Portillo compiles and analyzes the information.  Assistant Town Manager James Marshall reviews the data, and helps follow through with any complaints, needs or concerns.

"This process helps us better understand citizen's concerns, particularly around quality of life issues that aren't necessarily reflected in regular crime data," Marshall said. "I review the information each month and address any problems that I can, in conjunction with Chief Portillo and other town staff. For instance, I recently helped get some construction refuse cleaned up. Officers talking to people out on the street helps us identify such problems and take care of them."

The initiative is one part of the department's ongoing community engagement efforts, which also include participating in local community events, such as Halloween "trunk or treat" sites, the recent Easter egg hunt at Penny Park, sponsored by Grant County Kiwanis, school-based programs such as DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), summer events for children, or informal, off-duty conversations that officers experience simply by living, working and parenting in the community.

In 2023, Silver City police officers made a total of 495 unique contacts, of which 420 agreed that officers are trustworthy and 340 had no issues or complaints. Of the total, 31 persons mentioned a traffic-related concern, and 24 said they were concerned about homelessness. Another 22 noted some suspicious activity, 14 asked about the frequency of patrols, eight persons mentioned a road or sidewalk-related concern and six had questions about police procedure. Just 14 respondents said they felt that officers were not trustworthy and 10 fell into the category of "disgruntled."

"This data helps us to track how community members feel about our department, our effectiveness and to better understand people's concerns," said Chief Portillo. "I'm gratified to see that once again, residents feel that they can trust our officers and talk to them without fear.  It's important to remember that police officers are also part of the community, working hard to care for their families and enjoy a good quality of life, just like anyone else."

For more information, please contact Chief Portillo at (575) 538-3723, ext.1243, or by email at fportillo@silvercitynm.gov.  For more information about local ordinances or the Town of Silver City, please visit www.townofsilvercity.org .