New Mexico’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) is promoting a state-level initiative aimed at keeping experienced law enforcement officers on the job, an effort that has direct implications for public safety and policing continuity in McKinley County. The Law Enforcement Retention Fund, established by House Bill 193, provides periodic pay supplements tied to years of service and has been paired with recent improvements to an online portal designed to streamline agency participation.

Under the program, officers receive a stipend equal to 5 percent of base salary when they reach years 4, 9, 14 and 19 of service, and then annually after 20 years. Payments are contingent on an officer remaining at least one additional year with their current agency, a condition intended to discourage immediate departures following receipt of the stipend. According to DPS, 127 agencies have joined the program and more than 1,800 officers have received disbursements to date.

For McKinley County, where Gallup and surrounding communities grapple with recruitment and retention challenges common to rural and tribal areas, the stipend program offers a practical financial incentive that can help preserve institutional knowledge and relationships between officers and residents. The accompanying DPS imagery includes Gallup Police Officer Daniel Brown, underscoring local relevance and the program’s reach into community-level departments.

DPS officials have emphasized that the portal upgrades are meant to simplify the administrative process for agencies certifying officers and requesting payments. Easier participation could mean quicker access to funds for municipal and county departments, freeing local budgets from some of the immediate pressures of retention pay and allowing agencies to focus resources on training, recruitment, and community policing operations.

The retention structure has implications beyond payroll. By rewarding longevity at specified milestones, HB 193 aims to lower turnover, reduce recruitment and training costs, and maintain continuity in community relationships—factors that can be especially important in communities with significant Indigenous populations and complex jurisdictional landscapes, such as McKinley County. Stability among officers helps foster long-term trust-building efforts, coordinated responses with tribal and county law enforcement partners, and sustained knowledge of local conditions.

Local leaders and residents will be watching how participation by the Gallup Police Department and McKinley County agencies evolves, and whether the fund’s incentive schedule successfully retains officers who might otherwise transfer or leave the profession. As the state continues to refine the portal and track disbursements, the practical effects of the fund—on staffing levels, response times, and community engagement—will determine its value to this county’s public safety strategy.