MILAN, NM – This month’s Coffee with a Cop included many discussions including training, information regarding the new reporting system, preparations for the new year, mental health and a few others.
The meeting began with discussions on meetings and training. Chief of Police Carl Ustupski stated, “This new reporting system we had three days of training to sit through and it’s only going to get worse, in August we have nine days of training.” Ustupski says that overall, the new reporting system will be a major upgrade for the whole county. He stated, “Being able to share information… It’s going to be beneficial, so the training is well worth sitting through.”
Ustupski spoke about the Run For The Wall that recently came through the area. He stated, “The bikers come in and stop in Milan, they passed out challenge coins to the graduating kids from the elementary.” Ustupski said that the kids love to receive the coins. Lieutenant Brion Berrios spoke about the event, “It went really smoothly, it was received well by the community and they absolutely loved it. All-in-all they were extremely happy.”
With school now being out of session, the department is making plans regarding school safety for the new year. Ustupski stated, “It’s never too early, in case we have an active shooter, doing drills and everything. We’re hoping to do some at our schools here.” Berrios spoke about the precautions in place at the schools, “They have security, I know the sheriff’s department got approved two SRO officers, one for Grants High School, and I believe for the middle school as well. We are trying to streamline to get an active shooter program throughout and actually do something this summer in a joint agency for a live action scenario.”
The Milan Police Department is still working on trying to get more applications in for police officers. Ustupski stated, “We are not getting a whole lot of applications.” They are continuing to try to get more applications in, this includes talks about how they could entice individuals to apply. Ustupski stated, “We are trying to think of ways for recruiting and retention… We have to get a little bit creative.” Some of the ideas that were discussed were, individuals getting paid for training at home, offering housing to those relocating, recruiting stipends, and internships for high schools’ students with the police departments.
There was a discussion on the event coming up, which is a baseball game between the police officers and correctional officers. Ustupski stated, “We’re trying to do a little more to close that gap… Just kind of get to know who they are… It’s been for years where cops and correctional officers just don’t talk.”
They also spoke about Crisis Intervention Team Training, and the importance of it regarding mental health. Berrios stated, “The CIT training is more specific. It is a five-day training, 50 hours, to deal exclusively with people struggling with mental health, how to handle it, how to write reports, how to talk with the mental health professionals and to assess and bring individuals to the right place.” Berrios spoke about the importance of CIT training and how in Cibola County they are wanting to have at least one person in the county CIT certified to be a primary individual to call in situations pertaining to mental health. Berrios stated, “I believe everyone should be CIT certified and all officers should have mental health counseling and facilities.” They also spoke about the importance of mental health within the department, all members of the force meet twice a month for meetings regarding mental health.
The calls for service are still very consistent, for their traffic numbers they are focusing on public safety. Ustupski stated, “Our goal with our traffic stops is education, obviously safety, the more visible we are the more proactive we are with traffic.” Ustupski wanted the public to know that his focus is not citations, it is traffic stops to make the roads safer.
If you are interested in a career in Law Enforcement with Milan Police Department you can find more information at: https://www.villageofmilan. com/residents/job_opportunities/ index.php
Coffee With A Cop is for all community members and happens the first Wednesday of every month at 11 a.m. at the Rec Building, located at 405 Airport Road, Milan. Coffee will be served