MILAN, N.M. — The Milan Police Department hosted its third annual Faith & Blue Weekend, a three-day community event designed to strengthen trust between law enforcement and the public through service, outreach, and remembrance.
Over the course of three days, Milan officers—joined by local leaders, firefighters, and law enforcement partners—led activities that ranged from reading to children and helping unhoused residents to cleaning local parks in memory of a fallen soldier.
Chief Carl Ustupski said the national Faith & Blue initiative began in 2020 to “build a bridge or a stronger trust and a sense of community between law enforcement and those in the community.” Milan is among only a few New Mexico communities that participate, alongside Farmington.
“The faith part comes from churches or faith-based organizations,” Ustupski explained. “In the past, there’s been some hesitation— people wonder if the police are throwing church at them—but that’s not what this is about. It’s about community, trust, and connection.”
Day One: Story Time at Milan Elementary
The three-day event began with Story Time at Milan Elementary School, where officers and local officials read to children and talked about public service.
The Milan Police Department Courtesy of the Ustupski family was joined by the New Mexico State Police, PHI Air Medical, the Cibola County Sheriff’s Office, Grants Fire Department, Milan Fire Department, and several village leaders, including Mayor Erik Gonzales, Village Manager Candi Williams, and Trustee Mercer.
Ustupski said the day was about visibility and trust. “When kids see us in their schools, reading and laughing with them, it helps them realize we’re here to serve,” he said.
Day Two: Andrew “Wakeself” Martinez Community Outreach Courtesy of the Ustupski family
The second day of Faith & Blue Weekend centered on community compassion and assistance for the unhoused – or homeless – population. Officers prepared 20 care packages containing socks, gloves, hats, hand warmers, chapstick, and food items.
The outreach effort was named in memory of Andrew “Wakeself” Martinez, an Albuquerque musician and community activist who was killed by a drunk driver in 2019.
“This was the third year we’ve done it,” said Ustupski. “Especially with winter coming up, we got the idea to hand out some warmer socks, gloves, hats, and little things that will hopefully help.”
While Milan does not have a large unhoused population, officers distributed the packages in Grants, where the need was found to be greater. The interactions, Ustupski said, often carried deep meaning.
“They see the uniform and assume we’re there to arrest them,” he said. “Once they realized we were just there to help, the attitude changed. There were smiles where there had been concern. That’s the point of this weekend— showing that we’re here to help.”
The chief added that some officers and volunteers shared words of encouragement during the outreach, and a few spoke about their faith with those they met. “I heard one of them say, ‘God loves you. Don’t give up.’ That was great,” Ustupski said.
The effort reached roughly 20 people, the most since Milan’s participation began.
“The first year we reached maybe 10 people. Last year it was about eight. This year we reached nearly 20,” Ustupski said. “We’re looking for ways to make a bigger impact next year, maybe a large meal at a park or something else.”
Day Three: Jacob Ashton CommunityParksCleanup
The third and final day honored the memory of Jacob Ashton, Ustupski’s nephew, a U.S. Army soldier who was murdered by his roommate at Fort Drum, New York. Ashton served his country, completed a tour in Iraq, and had been planning a future in public service. Ustupski was trying to convince him to share his talents and skills with Cibola.
“He was in the Army and was getting out in December of last year,” said Ustupski. “He was murdered in August. He had thoughts of being a police officer or firefighter. He was a huge Pittsburgh Steelers and Pirates fan and really into weightlifting. He only had a few more months left in the Army and had thoughts of being a police officer or firefighter.”
The Jacob Ashton Community Parks Cleanup brought together officers, volunteers, and local children to clean up Milan’s parks — including Kearns, Elkins, and Maribar — in a gesture of civic pride and remembrance. The event was both practical and deeply symbolic: an act of care for the community and a way to keep Ashton’s name and spirit alive.
“We decided to name it after him for the parks cleanup, just to honor him, keep his name alive, and what he did,” Ustupski said.
Chief Ustupski said he hopes to expand the event next year to include participation from the Grants High School powerlifting team, reflecting Ashton’s lifelong passion for strength training and competition.
“He was so big into weightlifting,” Ustupski said. “Maybe we can do a lift-a-thon in his honor.”
Community and Collaboration
Faith & Blue Weekend also provided an opportunity for Milan’s small police force to collaborate with regional agencies.
“We had assistance from NMSP, CCSO, Grants Fire, Milan Fire, and PHI,” Ustupski confirmed. “We’re trying to do a better job of working with our other agencies than we have in the past, especially on these events.”
Village trustees and the mayor also joined in the planning and participation.
“Our mayor and trustees are pretty good about that,” Ustupski said. “They get out there and see what the community needs.”
Faith in the Community
Although the event’s national model emphasizes partnerships with religious organizations, Chief Ustupski said Milan’s approach focuses on the broader idea of faith in one another.
“I wish we were at a time where I didn’t have to consider bringing religion,” he said. “I think it’s important, but I just know not everybody would be receptive. Still, some people need that—maybe finding a way to include it differently is something we’ll explore.”
The chief noted that many of the department’s officers volunteer their time off to participate. “Those were their days off,” he said. “They came out with family and spent time giving back to the community, which was great.”
Faith & Blue may last only one weekend, but for the Milan Police Department, it represents a yearround commitment. “We try to do things like that all year,” Ustupski said. “Most of us carry some of these packages in our cars. We have a bunch of stuff at the station we can pass out.”
He recalled past years when officers helped distribute holiday meals. “Two years ago, Officer Goodrich’s wife and mother-in-law made a bunch of food plates for Thanksgiving. We came out on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Eve on our off days and passed out food,” he said.
AReminder of Humanity
For Ustupski, the heart of Faith & Blue is a reminder that law enforcement and community members are bound by shared humanity.
“We forget that these are people’s sons, daughters, parents, brothers, sisters,” he said. “It’s easy to see somebody and think, ‘Get a job,’ but we don’t know how they got there. These are humans walking around in these positions— and we tend to forget that.”
Faith & Blue, he said, helps bridge that gap, one act of kindness at a time.
U.S. Army Specialist Jacob Ashton — The Jacob Ashton Community Parks Cleanup held in Milan was named in honor of U.S. Army Specialist Jacob Ashton, who aspired to continue serving others as a police officer or firefighter following his military service. The cleanup brought together officers, volunteers, and children to beautify Milan’s parks and honor a fallen US soldier.