EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Tessa Abeyta, who was defeated in her re-election bid to the Las Cruces City Council in November, was named as the new undersheriff for Dona Ana County on Tuesday, Dec. 12.
Sheriff Kim Stewart announced the appointment and said she was picking Abeyta to serve in the position to foster regional collaboration with other law-enforcement agencies and to bring “our voice to Santa Fe.”
Abeyta has served on the Las Cruces City Council since January 2020. She lost her bid for another term when she lost to former Mayor Bill Mattiace this past November.
“We want this to be a boon for the Sheriff’s Office, but also for the five police agencies in our county,” Stewart said.
Stewart said Abeyta will not have a role in the day-to-day command of the Sheriff’s Office. Instead, she will be called upon to build regional partnerships and also serve as the agency’s voice for funding and other initiatives, Stewart said.
Abeyta has a background as a lobbyist and is currently the president of the New Mexico Municipal League.
As president of the New Mexico Municipal League, Abeyta said she has learned about different municipalities across the state and how important it is to work together.
“My experience in organizational development and collaboration will be really beneficial,” Abeyta said. “And I really do have an interest in public safety.”
Stewart said one of their big projects will be to help create a regional training facility for law enforcement instead of having it spread all over Dona Ana County.
Stewart said she has not had an undersheriff for several years and gave a lot of thought to how the position could be filled to best serve the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office and regional law enforcement.
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