By Rodd Cayton, Route 66 Independent — The June primary has led to a changing of the guard at the Torrance County Sheriff’s Office. Estancia Police Chief Tom Carter, a former sheriff’s deputy, defeated incumbent David E. Frazee in the Republican primary, with 1056 votes to 705. With no Democratic candidate in the race, Carter is poised to take office Jan. 1.
Carter spoke with the Route 66 Independent after the election about his experience, his motivations and his plans. He said his decision to run for office was based on a desire to better address violent crime and change the culture he’s seen in some law enforcement agencies. “Mostly, I grew tired of watching the state be soft on violent crime,” Carter said. “I think it is because there is so much negativity towards the police because we are the face of the judicial system. Everyone has an opinion on how we should get the job done, but few have any firsthand experience on doing it. We, as law enforcement, have to own some of that. We can get better at explaining why we do some of the things we do. We need to be focused on addressing crime that has real victims. In short, I want to make it harder to be a criminal in Torrance County, and serve the people.”
Carter, a 16-year law enforcement veteran, said his experience with the police departments in Albuquerque and Bernalillo have made him aware of the differences in urban and rural policing. “It’s the same job, the same functions,” he said. “But we’re more a part of the community in a rural area — not just a number on a roster page.” Carter said he chose to move to Torrance County “because for the most part, my conservative values are supported in rural areas.”
Carter said he wants to enforce the laws “constitutionally … make sure we’re making arrests appropriately, which means sometimes we don’t make the arrest.”
The biggest challenge the sheriff’s office faces, he said, is the budget. “I think the people of Torrance County need and want a service from the SO that the current budget can’t support,” Carter said. “There are definitely small adjustments that can be made to make big improvements, but I intend to grow the agency. We need money to do some of that.”