By Bob Steiner

This week  the town of Edgewood hosted a meeting where the Boundary commission appointed by Governor Richardson was present.  This was an open meeting where some thirty-odd citizens were present to hear the town present its request to annex several parcels of land adjacent to or within the town’s present borders. Several citizens spoke out against the annexation and the commission decided not to approve the request.

The main reason given for not wanting to be annexed was  that residents felt their rural lifestyle would be impacted  negatively, if they became part of the town. Also raised during the meeting  was the concern that the police protection provided by the town’s police force was inadequate and that Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department presently  provided adequate service to the Edgewood Area. One citizen even went so far as to say he thought that the Police Department was only a nine to five weekday operation.  Unfortunately because of the many other aspects addressed by the petition, town staff did not  have an opportunity to clarify  this “mis-information’.

While I certainly do not purport to be a  spokesman for the Edgewood Police Department, I believe that I have had occasion to view the department in operation and I can comment  on its operating hours, as well as some of the internal support agreements it operates under.  First off, the Police Support office (tel. 505-281-5717), located just South of the town’s municipal offices on Route 66,  is open week days from 8 A.M. to 4 P.M.  This office is open for non-emergency business, such as processing  accident reports and performing other support services to the community at large.

24/7 emergency calls to the 911   number are routed directly to the regional dispatch center in Santa Fe.  Such calls would normally be responded to by the closest available unit from  the Edgewood  Police Department.  Santa Fe County Sheriff, or the State Police would respond if  an Edgewood  unit could not answer the call.   All three agencies seem to work well together and our citizens seem to be getting the most for their tax dollars with this arrangement.

In the event you have need for service from our police, please note the following:

• FOR NON EMERGENCY weekday service, Call the Edgewood Police at 281-5717.

• FOR NON-EMERGENCY  calls during other than normal business hours, please call the Regional Dispatch Center at 1-800- 742-1144 .

• FOR  ALL EMERGENCY Calls (at all times) please call 911!

Rest assured Edgewood, your town leaders are keeping your safety in mind!