Work begins on Navajo law enforcement post

HUERFANO, N.M. (AP) – A New Mexico county and Navajo Nation leaders have broken ground to build a $440,000 police substation in Huerfano (WEAR-fah-no).

The station will be located along U.S. 550 south of Bloomfield, N.M.

Officials say the site will improve police response times to the isolated Navajo Nation communities of Huerfano and Nageezi (NAH-gee-zee).

Residents who called 911 have had to wait hours for tribal police officers to arrive from stations in Crownpoint. Life-threatening emergencies were handled by the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office but deputies worked outside jurisdiction on primarily tribal lands.

The joint law enforcement substation will serve tribal officers, state police and county deputies.