Special Edition: Emergency Management Sessions and Reporting
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Public Safety: Leadership Cloudcroft Emergency Management Notes
On Saturday, September 20th, the Leadership Cloudcroft cohort and key community members gathered at the High School Commons to discuss emergency management in and around the village.
The Leadership Cloudcroft group was joined by community figures including mayoral candidate Dusty Wiley, Burro Street Exchange owner Phyllis Turner, new Chamber of Commerce Manager Maddie Garner, Sacramento Camp Program Manager Rachel Tvede, and others.
Attendees enjoyed a lunch of enchiladas and all the fixings, prepared by students from the school’s Culinary Program. As they dined, they listened to presentations from local emergency managers and asked questions about public safety.
Who are our local first responders?
Otero County Office Emergency Services, headed by Matt Clark, is the central hub for emergency incidents on the mountain. Calls for 911 are routed through the Tularosa Basin Regional Dispatch Authority, which serves Cloudcroft even after TBRDA’s recent restructuring.
National Forest Hotshot team members and crews are stationed in the Lincoln National Forest. During peak fire season, a rotating cast of hotshot crews can be seen in and around Cloudcroft.
We’re also served by our local volunteer fire department and EMTs, the Otero County Sheriff’s Office, the Lincoln National Forest law enforcement officers (of which there are now two), Game & Fish, and the State Police.
According to the Cloudcroft VFD, the recent consolidation of the Otero County Volunteer Fire Departments will not affect our local station.
Cloudcroft’s Police Department now consists of a sole officer-in-training, Ali Manzo. At the regular September council meeting, Mayor Tim King said the village has candidates who’ve applied for Cloudcroft PD positions.
Who patrols Cloudcroft now?
Roger Schoolcraft spoke about the Otero County Sheriff’s coverage of the mountain—he arrived at the session a few minutes late after responding to incidents in Timberon and Mayhill.
After stepping down as Cloudcroft’s Chief of Police in December 2024, he now serves as a Mountain Deputy with the Otero County Sheriff’s Office. Four deputies are covering 220 square miles, including Cloudcroft.
Schoolcraft is joined by officers Mitchell, Lauder, and Jones.
Schoolcraft stated that the mutual aid partnerships are strong between multiple agencies, including Game & Fish officers, the State Police, and Forest Service law enforcement officers. Cross-commissioned officers can respond within Cloudcroft’s village limits.
Their typical response time can be up to 45 minutes, depending on their location and road conditions.
“My resources at any given time may be really narrow… so we call the state police. We need mutual aid. In Alamogordo, I make a traffic stop and somebody’s giving me a hard time… within two minutes, I’ve got two officers right there helping me out. Up here, it might be five or ten minutes or 15 minutes, depends on what’s going on,” he said.
One challenge is the radio communication dead zones two miles east of Cloudcroft on Highway 82.
On Cloudcroft’s PD
“I think a police department should be fundamental to every community in the United States, whether it’s a four-man police department or a two-man police department,” he said.
Schoolcraft emphasized that the police chief in Cloudcroft should be a “working chief of police,” meaning someone who is not just an administrator but is actively out in the community, taking calls and leading by example. He states: “You don’t sit in an office in a small community, with your chief badge on, and not be out taking calls. You’d better be Johnny-on-the-spot, the guy that they can call.”
He said that in the process of hiring a new chief, it is crucial to choose someone who is invested in the community, understands community policing, and intends to stay long-term, not just treat the job as a brief assignment.
“The worst thing you can have is an invisible police force. If you’re not out patrolling the community, being an active presence… then what good are they to the village?”—Deputy Roger Schoolcraft
Schoolcraft stressed that the chief’s responsibility is to look out for their people—meaning the officers and the community alike—and that “it’s just find the right people, keep them in place, keep them happy, train good equipment, and have a good chief of police that’s going to take care of their people and be a working chief of police”.
Safety and our schools
Elementary and Middle School Principal—and Cloudcroft alumna— Nolene Adams serves as Cloudcroft Schools’ Emergency Coordinator.
The school recently upgraded its infrastructure with a new radio system, and will use the GO Bond to fund additional security vestibules at school entrances.
“One of the biggest things about safety is it costs a lot of money. Especially in the school system. Our bond is coming up, and so I really do want to encourage you to vote,” Adams said.
Older grades use lockers, and backpacks aren’t allowed in the classroom.
“All of their stuff is in their lockers, and we do random bag checks. As a middle school teacher, kids were vaping in my classroom. And I could not catch them,” Adams said.
When asked how the Yondr pouches and cell-phone lockdowns could affect a crisis, Adams said that the absence of an influx of calls would prevent cell tower overloads and allow the emergency managers to coordinate with responders…
Special Edition: Emergency Management
The Wednesday Review focuses on this vital topic: public safety in Cloudcroft. Below, we link to our recent coverage and resources for the village’s emergency management, fire prevention resources, and more.
But first, ICYMI:
Your Wednesday Review continues after this brief message. Thank you to our sponsor, the New Mexico Rails-To-Trails Association:
VIDEO: Cloudcroft Fire Risk Forum
The Cloudcroft Fire Risk Forum, hosted by Cloudcroft Reader in the rustic Lodge Pavilion, had more than 200 community members in attendance, with expert presentations, a lively Q&A, fresh locally-sourced snacks by Chef Richard Lepree, and cash bar.
Saturday, September 27th: Fire Prevention Day
Want your event listed in the Reader’s upcoming Fall events guide and business update? Let us know at events@cloudcroftreader.com.
Your Wednesday Review continues after this brief message. Thank you to our sponsor, The Lodge:
Notice of Public Hearing: October 1st at 6:00 p.m.
The village is meeting to consider adopting an ordinance “to allow the Governing Body of the Village of Cloudcroft to enter into an agreement with Southwest Sports Solutions, Inc. for the lease of village property known as the James Sewell Ice Rink.”
Check out the Reader’s 2025 Elections videos on YouTube:
Stay tuned—we’ll post more videos as the election race progresses.
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