Lemuel's Head Explodes

The Santa Fe Police Department is looking at the possibility of recruiting Mexican nationals to fill vacancies on the city police force, say sergeants in charge of training and recruiting.

Sgts. Gillian Alessio and Marvin Paulk told the city's Public Safety Committee on Tuesday that they are trying to think outside the box to fill 20 vacancies on the 155-person force.

New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy regulations currently prohibit noncitizens from serving as police officers, Police Chief Eric Johnson said later.

Alessio told the city panel: ``Every day, we get approached by young men and women from Mexico who are in the country legally but are not naturalized. There is a huge pool of people who are dedicated, hard-working and trying to become citizens of this country. They would like nothing better than to devote their time to protecting the communities that they live in.''

Hat Tip: Knowledge is Power