MILAN, NM – The second meeting of Coffee With A Cop happened on February 1 at the Parks and Rec Building in Milan located at 407 Airport Road. Chief Carl Ustupski and Sgt. Galindo were in attendance along with Milan Board of Trustees member Roseanne Lopez and two community members. The goal of these first Wednesday of the month meetups is to give the community an opportunity to discuss important issues of concern to them and see how the police force and the citizens of Milan can cooperatively discuss and possibly solve problems.
The February 1 meeting turned its focus to mental health issues when a community member brought up problems she was having with another resident. The lack of creative outlets for residents was discussed and quickly moved to the fact that the police are forced to deal with folks who arrive in town or are released from Core Civic and are struggling with mental health problems that may never have been addressed.
Sgt. Galindo said, “In the last two weeks I’ve dealt with two people in crisis.” He went on to say that he had to arrest one man two times, then his co-worker had to arrest the same man two more times. “I wanted to get him help. Sometimes we have to go as far as Las Cruces, Sunland Park. This guy ended up at Kaseman.”
“The attitudes have to change,” Chief Ustupski said. “We’re behind as far as how law enforcement, the courts, and mental health connect.” Conversation turned to how critical a crisis intervention team could be for the city as well as a halfway house or someplace recently released prisoners with mental health diagnoses could be supported. At this point in time, Milan and Grants both lack a warm, holding station for homeless folks or people roaming the city with obvious mental health disorders.
School safety was discussed, and Chief Ustupski said that Milan Police would take care of Milan Elementary School and support Grants High School if called upon. As an Active Shooter Response Trainer, one of Chief Ustupski’s main concerns is “What happens afterwards? Reunification with the parents is a priority.” He and Sgt. Galindo went on to discuss Delinquent Acts and how handling minors is very different from dealing with legal adults. Eager to keep his team up to date on the latest training and procedures, Ustupski said “If we’re missing something, we’re [going to] get the training.” He is committed to reaching outside the agency and asking “Are we doing this right?”
Coffee With A Cop is open to everyone, all questions and concerns are welcome. Mark your calendar for the first Wednesday of each month at 11 am. The conversation happens inside the Parks and Rec Building located at 407 Airport Road, Milan. Coffee will be served.