The Las Cruces Police Academy was initiated in 1966. It is one of the oldest law enforcement training academies in the state of New Mexico. Others are the New Mexico State Police and the Albuquerque Police Deparment police academies.
There have been thirty-seven police academies since 1966. In addition to training police officers for the Las Cruces Police Department, other agencies have benefited as well*; NMSU PD; Doña Ana County Sheriff's Department, Las Cruces Fire Department (Fire Investigators); Catron County Sheriff's Department; Sunland Park PD; Mesilla Marshall's Office; and, New Mexico Department of Transportation.
* All NM State agencies are now required to attend the NM Law Enforcement Academy in Santa Fe for their training.
The Las Cruces Police Department began in 1928. Law enforcement duties prior to that time fell upon the Sheriff of Doña Ana County and his deputies. The City of Las Cruces incorporated in 1946.
The original Las Cruces Police Deparment and Fire Department were within the City of Las Cruces Municipal Building located on Organ Avenue between Church and Campo Streets, the same location of the present City Hall building.
By 1961, the police department had moved to 1203 E. Lohman Avenue, the site of Pep Boys automotive business today. Due to the ever increasing growth of the city, the police department realized the need to be housed in a larger facility. In 1968 the LCPD and Fire Department moved into a newly constructed public safety building at 201 E. Picacho Avenue. This building today is occupied solely by the Fire Department. It is directly across the street from Branigan Library. It served as headquarters for the LCPD from 1968-1991. The present LCPD building, 217 E. Picacho Avenue, is next door to the old building.
From 1946 to 1953, police officers of the Las Cruces Police Department wore khaki uniforms, a common police uniform for many small community law enforcement agencies due to the surplus khaki military uniforms available after World War II.
On 29 November 1953, the LCPD changed to a new uniform consisting of dark blue shirts which had gray epaulettes, pocket flaps and stripe along the outside seam of the dark blue trousers. Caps were also gray. The Summer uniform consisted of a light blue shirt worn with the dark blue trousers.
In 1964 LCPD began wearing dark green shirts and trousers, virtually the same uniform as the U.S. Border Patrol except for the addition of a gold stripe along the outside seam of the trousers. Caps, too, were dark green.
A new uniform was selected in 1983. On 16 May of that year, all officers of the police department began wearing this uniform. It is the same uniform worn today except for removal of the silver trouser stripe in 1997.
LCPD SLEEVE INSIGNIA
Sleeve insignia, i.e., shoulder patches, have undergone as many changes. The original shoulder patch was small and resembled the El Paso Police Department's sleeve insignia as worn today except the LCPD patch wording was, "Las Cruces Police Dept." and "The Sunshine State," an old NM nickname used in the 1930's prior to official adoption of "The Land of Enchantment" in 1941. It also is the first patch to include the three crosses. The sleeve patch below is from the 1930's.
A larger shield-type shoulder insignia replaced the small one. This had a light blue field with white embroidered text and borders. This insignia was used until 1964. In that year, the LCPD began wearing a green uniform, therefore a new patch design emerged. This one included not only the three crosses, but also the NM zia sun symbol. When the police department changed to the dark blue uniform in 1983, the sleeve patch changed along with the new uniform. In 1997 a new, colorful sleeve patch was created and is worn on LCPD uniforms today. Examples of the sleeve insignias can be viewed at the beginning of this section.
Click on photos for larger images.
This section, "Vintage LCPD" is dedicated to all the men and women who have served in the Las Cruces Police Department.