First Law Enforcement Agency in New Mexico

SANTA FE – The Colfax County Sheriff’s Office has been accepted into the Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) Project™, a Georgetown University Law Center’s national training and support initiative for U. S. law enforcement agencies. The project is committed to building a culture of peer intervention that prevents harm. The County is the first law enforcement agency in New Mexico to participate in this national ABLE project along with 138 ABLE-certified agencies representing 36 U. S. states.

Colfax County Sheriff Leonard M. Baca, Sergeant Thomas Lewis, and Deputy Nicolina Villani-Martinez completed the train-the-trainer course. They are now certified ABLE trainers.  Over the coming months, all of the Office’s deputies will receive eight hours of evidence-based active bystandership education designed not only to prevent harm but also to change the culture of policing. The aim is to create a police culture in which officers routinely intervene as necessary to prevent misconduct, avoid police mistakes, and promote officer health and wellness.

ABLE training is provided at no cost to local law enforcement agencies, but those agencies must commit to creating a culture of active bystandership and peer intervention through policy, training, support, and accountability.  To ensure ABLE-based programs are implemented effectively and meaningfully, a law enforcement agency must commit to following 10 ABLE Standards to participate in the program.

Please contact Colfax County Sheriff’s Office Detective Nolberto Dominguez for more information.

The New Mexico Counties is a non-profit, nonpartisan association representing New Mexico’s 33 counties since 1936. Its mission is to strengthen New Mexico counties’ ability to govern their own affairs and to improve the well-being and quality of life of their constituents. NM Counties provides numerous services to counties including legislative advocacy, self-insurance administration, legal assistance, and professional development. For more information, please visit www.nmcounties.org.