The Raton Range
Created Sept. 10, 2026 | 2:00 a.m. MST
RATON, N.M. — Nolberto “Beto” Dominguez Jr. is making experience, accountability and community involvement central to his campaign for Colfax County sheriff, saying voters should be able to measure the performance of the office rather than simply hear campaign promises.
Dominguez told The Raton Range that he has spent 18 years working in law enforcement in Colfax County, including 11 years with the Raton Police Department before moving to the Colfax County Sheriff’s Office, where he serves as a lieutenant.
He said his current duties have included supervising daily operations and staff and dealing with issues involving budgets, discipline, training and public accountability.
Dominguez also pointed to his work as a state-certified general instructor and certifications involving use of force, de-escalation, firearms and Taser instruction. He said he has pursued FBI-Law Enforcement Executive Development Association command leadership training as part of preparing for executive responsibility within the sheriff’s office.
If elected, Dominguez said his first 90 days would include reviewing patrol data to determine whether deputies are positioned where they are most needed, improving communication with crime victims and providing the public with more information about investigations.
He also said he intends to regularly attend community meetings throughout Colfax County.
“I don’t plan on being a desk sheriff,” Dominguez said in his questionnaire response.
Dominguez said residents should be able to determine whether the office is improving through response times, investigative results and the level of communication coming from the department.
Countywide coverage
One of the challenges facing the next sheriff will be policing one of northeastern New Mexico’s geographically diverse counties.
Colfax County includes Raton, Springer, Cimarron, Maxwell, Angel Fire, Eagle Nest and large rural areas where a deputy may be many miles from the next call.
Dominguez said he would continue rotational patrol coverage while attempting to strengthen recruiting and retention so deputies can maintain a greater presence throughout the county.
He said residents living on remote county roads should have the same expectation of service as people living in larger communities.
Dominguez also said he wants to expand community participation through Crime Stoppers and other means of allowing residents to provide information about criminal activity.
Accountability inside the department
Dominguez was also asked how he would respond to allegations of deputy misconduct, use-of-force complaints or public-records disputes when someone personally known to him was involved.
He said he would step aside in such cases and seek an objective third-party investigation.
Dominguez said doing so would help prevent the appearance of favoritism and allow facts rather than personal relationships to determine the outcome.
He said supporting deputies who perform their jobs properly does not remove the sheriff’s responsibility to hold employees accountable when allegations of misconduct arise.
Drugs, repeat crime and prosecution
Dominguez also addressed concerns over drugs, theft, violence and frustration among residents who see defendants repeatedly returning to the criminal justice system.
He said the sheriff’s office needs stronger cooperation with prosecutors so investigations are complete before cases reach court.
Dominguez said law enforcement also cannot treat incarceration as the only answer to addiction-related crime. He said he wants greater cooperation with schools, treatment providers and other community organizations in an effort to intervene before addiction produces additional criminal activity.
He stopped short of promising an immediate solution.
Instead, Dominguez said his administration would emphasize cooperation among deputies, prosecutors and community partners while holding the sheriff’s office responsible for the quality of its investigations.
The sheriff’s contest puts questions of experience, leadership, response times and accountability directly before Colfax County voters.
For Dominguez, the campaign message comes back repeatedly to one word: trust.
His argument is that trust should not come automatically with the badge.
It should be earned.
