New San Juan sheriff's building delayed

AZTEC, N.M. (KREZ-KRQE) - Cramped offices, filled to capacity storage and an evidence room that is overflowing. Those are just a few of the problems the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office is dealing with at its current location.

The department has literally outgrown its building. The office had to send all of their detectives to Bloomfield where they work out of an old elementary school they share with the Bloomfield Police Department.

“Having the proper office space and proper facility you know would definitely benefit most of the employees here,” Sheriff Mark McCloskey said.

For the last two years they thought they were going to get a proper facility.

The San Juan County Commission voted in 2008 in favor of a new $11 million Sheriff’s Complex that would also house the Regional Drug Task Force and Gang Unit. The complex was set to be built off of Andrea Drive in Farmington near the jail.

“We had the floor plans and the schematics completely designed on the new building,” McCloskey said.

However, when they got ready to build, their plans were soiled.

“When they took a closer look at the soil on this property they determined it was not suitable for building or that it would cost a great deal of money to make it suitable,” McCloskey said.

The sheriff said so far they have not found another location for the building, so with the project at a standstill. Meanwhile the commissioners shifted their focus to another agency in desperate need of a new facility.

“Anyone who's been over to the District Attorney’s Office really understands the needs,” County Executive Officer Keith Johns said. "We really got to do something there

During a closed-door session at their March 2 meeting the commission decided to put the new sheriff’s office project on hold while they find a new home for the District Attorney’s Office.

“It would be better money spent, and the right thing to do now is to address that issue,” Johns said.

McCloskey said while he understands why the commission made this decision something still needs to be done to deal with the growing issues their cramped quarters present.

“In the very near future we are going to need to expand and address the needs that we've listed,” McCloskey said.

In the meantime, the county and sheriff have started talking about expanding and remodeling the current sheriff’s office while the search continues for another location to build the new office.

“We've just put it on the back burner," John said. "It’s still there; we'll get to it."