GRANTS, N.M. – Maxine Monte did not enter the Grants Police Department’s reserve program expecting to make law enforcement her career. Friends had applied, and her mother encouraged her to do the same.
The program required approximately nine months of unpaid training, ride-alongs and hands-on experience. It introduced her to the responsibilities of police work – and gave her a direction she would follow for more than three decades.
“The first week of my reserve classroom and the first ride-along, I never looked back. I was hooked,” Monte said. “I could not think of doing anything else than law enforcement.”
Monte retires Sept. 30 as chief of the department where she began as a reserve officer in the summer of 1992. Her departure closes nearly four years leading GPD, a period that included improvements to officer pay and retirement benefits, funding for a police headquarters re-design and continued challenges recruiting and retaining officers.
In a Sept. 29 interview, Monte reflected on the people who helped shape her career and her efforts to prepare the department for those who will serve after her.
“It has gone by faster than I expected it to go by,” she said of her time as chief.
A Career Serving Grants and Cibola County Monte spent her junior high and high school years in Grants and returned to the community in the early 1990s. Her introduction to policing came through the reserve program, where instructors taught participants what the profession would require.
She credited those early instructors, including Lloyd Aragon, with setting a standard that stayed with her throughout her career.
The department itself looked different then. Monte recalled
Grants Police Chief Maxine Monte
Courtesy Photo working at its former location near the city’s water tank before the move to its current headquarters.
She credited former Grants Police Chief Marty Vigil who helped introduce Monte to another part of public service: working with state legislators. She recalled accompanying Vigil to the Legislature, although seeking funding was not her role at the time, that experience gave her an early look at the process she would later take part in.
Her career eventually took her beyond GPD, but Monte’s work remained in Cibola County.
After retiring from the Grants department in 2013, Monte returned to public service when then-Sheriff Johnny Valdez asked whether she would become a school resource officer. She held that position until 2018, when Sheriff Tony Mace asked her to return to full-time law enforcement work.
Monte applied and was hired as a lieutenant with the Cibola County Sheriff’s Office. She remained there until becoming Grants police chief in October 2022.
Between COVID and administrative changes within the City of Grants, the department faced substantial facility and equipment needs. Holes were visible in interior walls, portions of the ceiling were deteriorating, and aging patrol vehicles needed maintenance. Building and equipment repair was on an essential need.
Returning to the department where she had started brought a full slate of responsibilities, but Monte remained focused on a key goal: helping officers build careers they could sustain.
“It was always a goal to give our officers the resources and training that they needed to successfully retire in law enforcement,” Monte said.
Investing in Officers
Monte said the department’s training goals extended beyond meeting required standards. She wanted command staff, supervisors and patrol officers to receive preparation that would help them succeed throughout their careers.
That work accompanied efforts to improve pay and retirement benefits. Monte said the department secured raises during her tenure and moved from retirement Para 3 to Para 5 after officers voted to support the change.
An earlier effort to change plans approximately 20 years ago had been unsuccessful, she said. Seeing the current officers carry the vote was an accomplishment she valued.
Even with those improvements, staffing remains a challenge.
Following a recent sergeant’s resignation, Monte said the department was short two sergeants and, she believed, two patrol officers. GPD has reached full staffing at points during her tenure, but maintaining that level has been difficult.
When she began in the 1990s, Monte said, there was a waiting list of people interested in law enforcement. Today, recruiting certified officers is more difficult, and employees move between agencies for reasons ranging from pay and benefits to changes in their family or personal lives.
For those entering the profession, she said, understanding its demands is essential. Police work requires determination, integrity and professionalism, along with support outside the department.
“You can’t survive being a first responder unless you have that strong support system,” Monte said.
Her hope for GPD’s future is to see officers stay long enough to build lasting careers.
“I hope to see tenured officers within the city of Grants that have a successful retirement,” she said.
Preparing Headquarters for the Future
One of the largest projects advanced during Monte’s tenure will continue after she leaves: the first phase of a redesign of police headquarters, supported by $3.4 million in funding.
Monte credited the effort to working relationships built within city government and with state legislators. She and City Manager Andrew Valencia have worked alongside one another for approximately 30 years, dating to his service with the fire department and hers with GPD.
That history did not mean every request received immediate approval.
“There’s plenty of times where I’ve gone to the city manager and I’ve received a no,” Monte said.
Continued communication, she said, sometimes moved those conversations toward agreement.
Valencia invited Monte to meet with legislators and seek funding for the department. An initial request was unsuccessful, but the city secured funding in the 2026 Legislative Session. Monte credited coordination involving Valencia, the fire chief and legislators with helping move the project forward.
She said the first phase will address most of the department’s operational space. The city has already paid to replace the roof, and architects have prepared a design. Bidding and construction remain ahead.
Although Monte once hoped to return the department to the general area of its former location, she said the current headquarters has the advantage of being centrally located in Grants.
Now, she looks forward to seeing the completed work as a visitor.
“It’s in a great place right now, and I hope to get a tour of it when it’s completed,” she said.
Vehicle needs also remain part of the department’s ongoing work. Monte said two new vehicles were recently put into service and credited city administration with recognizing the need for continued purchases.
The Next Chapter
Valencia said he will appoint an interim chief while the city conducts a search for Monte’s permanent successor.
In the city’s retirement announcement, he thanked her for her service and said the city is committed to maintaining consistent leadership during the transition.
Mayor Erik Garcia described the retirement as planned and credited Monte with helping improve the department’s compensation and facilities.
“She is retiring like Michael Jordan, on top,” Garcia said.
For Monte, one opportunity for the department’s future reaches back to her own beginning.
GPD no longer operates the reserve program because of staffing demands, she said. Once the department is fully staffed, she hopes it will consider restoring the program that introduced her to police work.
“I don’t think I would be where I’m at today had I not applied for that reserve program,” Monte said.
As she leaves, her gratitude extends to the people who worked alongside her throughout the years.
“I’ve been blessed and thankful for everyone that I have worked for, or with, during my law enforcement career,” she said.