Shades of Tom Mix, Marshall Dillon or Sheriff Kane. At first glance, the new sheriff seems to fit that mold. But within a few minutes, it’s apparent that this is no celluloid cutout or make-believe hero from the cinema.
Although his manner is reminiscent of the tall, quiet Gary Cooper, this self-effacing man is a very real defender of life and limb, who has devoted nearly half his life to protect and serve the people of New Mexico.
Sheriff Dwight Kent Waller began his career in law almost by accident, or more precisely, because of an accident. Waller graduated from Carlsbad High School in 1970. He started to pursue an engineering degree at New Mexico State University-Carlsbad, but then dropped out and was working at one of the potash mines. He suffered a serious job-related injury in 1972, and while convalescing, he spotted an ad for the Carlsbad Police Department.
When he was chosen for the job, he now says, "I knew I had found my niche." Soon after, he applied and was accepted to the 32nd New Mexico State Police Academy from which he graduated second in his class in December of 1974.
Upon reflection, Waller feels maybe the seeds of a law enforcement career were planted earlier in his life. His dad owned an automotive shop and maintained some of the state police vehicles. In addition, he says, "Dad was a member of the New Mexico Mounted Patrol for about 15 years."
Waller continued with the NMSP for the next 25 years, moving up through the ranks, stationed first in Ruidoso, then Artesia, Carlsbad, Taos and returning to Carlsbad in 1992 as a sergeant and supervisor of the New Mexico State Police for Eddy County.
He retired from the state police when he decided to run for Eddy County Sheriff last spring because he felt it was the right thing to do. Shortly after announcing his candidacy, Waller said, "My decision to retire from The New Mexico State Police was one of the toughest decisions I have made in my life. I have dedicated my entire adult life to the service of the citizens of New Mexico."
Now, the residents of Eddy County have elected Waller to continue his service to them. At midnight on New Year’s Eve, Sheriff Kent Waller took over the position of the head law enforcement official in the county. The wait was a long one, since he defeated "Chunky" Click in the Democratic primary in June and ran unopposed in the November election. But he didn’t rush in to lock offices and take over at midnight. He and his staff waited until Monday morning to get started in an orderly manner.
He is a thoughtful, deliberate man who says, "I am starting to evaluate and delegate what I want and how I expect things to go, to get rolling in the right direction. With Ernie Mendoza, who ran with me as chief deputy, and Maria Merjil, an Artesia resident, as administrative secretary, we have made a good start. With Maria, we are working on the problem of when to work in orange and when to work in blue."
Waller has retained many members of the former administration, most notably for Artesians, Lt. Gilbert Chavez as supervisor for the department’s Artesia office. Chavez is grateful for the opportunity. He says, "I was worried whether I would or would not be involved, but when I was made Lieutenant, it was an exhilarating experience, like a young child getting a present. I have the same responsibilities, but with some changes for the better."
Chavez goes further, "We need to give Sheriff Waller time to become familiar with the operation and team. He is being patient with us and we will be patient with him. He didn’t just jump in and start changing things. He is evaluating and measuring to get a feel for the operation and then will make recommendations for change. He is not cleaning the slate." Chavez, with the county for 18 years, expects things to go smoothly in the new administration.
In the near future, Waller plans to add a sergeant position to the Artesia office. That person will be hired from within the department and will live in Artesia. Waller says, "I want people who work in the community to live there and have community involvement, a presence there."
He sees a lack of manpower as a weakness in the department. "We do not have the manpower to cover the county the way I would like to cover it,” he says. “We need more deputies, we are four short and have to fill those positions. We need more people in the field. During regular shifts, deputies should be out in the county providing law enforcement to the citizens, checking businesses, and checking the oil fields and farms."
"We do have grants from the government for special projects such as DWI, seat belt and child restraint programs. These special projects fall outside the deputies’ regular hours. The grants are not funded in the county budget. Deputies are asked if they want to participate outside of their regular shifts, so they are not on county time during these special projects."
"Since the county is so large a territory for the department to cover," Waller said, "we need the help of the public. If they see something illegal, get a license number or a vehicle description. If they see something out of place, they should not hesitate to contact the department. It may check out OK, but we may catch someone."
Artesia will not be neglected by Waller. He says, "In the past, the Sheriff’s Department has been a north department and a south department with the same payroll. I want it to be one department. The Eddy County Sub-Office is just as important as the Carlsbad office."
Turning to more personal matters, Waller speaks with pride of sons, Bryan and Jason. Bryan is a sophomore majoring in business at the University of New Mexico and Jason is with the State Police stationed in Eddy County. He speaks with love and admiration for his wife Carol, whom he says has devoted her life to taking care of their family.
During any spare time he may have, staying physically fit is a priority for the new sheriff. But, with a gleam in his eye, he describes how restoring his 1980 El Camino to show car status provides real relaxation away from work. He also occasionally crews for the Johnny C. Gray race team. He says, "I enjoy being around cars, working on them and learning what I can about them."
So, maybe this modern-day sheriff doesn’t ride a horse or tote a six-shooter like those lawmen in the Wild West who came before him. And although he has an El Camino instead of a palomino, it’s a near certainty that if this were a western movie, Sheriff Kent would be wearing a white hat.