Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Romero retires as chief of police

Gerald Garner Jr. El Defensor Chieftain Editor

GGARNER After 44 years, Lawrence Romero is calling it quits.

Socorro's Chief of Police officially retires today (Wednesday), bringing to an end a law enforcement career that has spanned nearly half a century and seen him hold multiple posts in and around Socorro County.

It is the story of a career that came full circle — although it took decades to complete.

The final chapter of the story saw Romero return home to the department where he started his career as a rookie in 1965.

The Early Days

A native of Lemitar and a Socorro High School graduate, Lawrence Romero is about as local as they come. Just four years out of high school, he ambled through the Socorro Police Department's doors looking for work.

It would be the beginning of a long, sometimes difficult adventure, which saw him travel among various departments from Socorro to Albuquerque and points in between.

A little more than a year into his police career, Jim Fullingjim was elected sheriff of Socorro County and called on Romero to assume the position of undersheriff — a position he would hold for approximately two years.

Then it was off to Bernalillo County where he worked the graveyard shift in the city's South Valley.

"I was working for the sheriff's department up there, commuting in from Belen every day," Romero said. "It was a war zone, so I tried relentlessly to get on with the Belen Police Department."

Persistence finally paid off and, in 1970, Romero headed back down I-25 to Belen.

"I guess they finally got tired of seeing my face and they eventually hired me," he said with a smile.

Nearly a decade passed before a political bug bit Romero. Campaigning began and before he knew it, Romero was serving his first stint as an elected county sheriff for the Valencia County Sheriff's Department. It would be the first of five, non-consecutive terms in office for Romero.

Sprinkled in during those years, Romero served as assistant chief of police for the Belen Police Department and two terms as Valencia County undersheriff. During that time, he also served as chairman of the Region I Drug Task Force.

In 1990, Romero packed his bags and headed for Torrance County, where he continued his law enforcement career — albeit in a much different setting.

"I went to work in Torrance on a forestry contract for law enforcement through the sheriff's department," Romero recalls. "I did forest patrols; it was a really cushy job — I got to tour campsites and see the forest."

It was not all sightseeing, however.

During his time in the forest Romero discovered a huge marijuana plantation. It would signal the beginning of a new, yet brief stint as a narcotics officer.

It was during this toiling time that Socorro's Lesman Torres was elected county sheriff. It was not long before Romero got the call to return to his beloved Socorro.

For the next 18 months, Romero served as the local department's No. 2 in command before he traveled the familiar stretch of interstate between Socorro and Belen to assume the chief of police gig.

Three years later, Romero returned home to Socorro for good.

For the next six years, Romero worked as an investigator for the Socorro Police Department until Joel Haley's retirement.

Who would fill in as chief?

You guessed it — Romero.

A 40-plus Year Love Affair

Looking at Romero, it appears the 66-year-old still has plenty of energy to continue serving and protecting his hometown. The years and the job, however, have taken a toll.

"I picked this year to retire because I had my heart attack last year and four stints were put in," Romero said "I feel great, but I realized that we're all just passing through and I've got some other things to do."

While he's not telling what his future plans include, he reflects fondly on his many years in blue (and khaki).

"I always wanted to be a police officer and I've loved what I've done," he said. "When you do something you dearly love, you never do a day's work — that's so true of my career."

Romero said his favorite aspect of the job during 40-plus years has been his involvement with the Toys from Cops to Tots program.

"It really touches you and warms your heart when you do something that makes a difference to a child," Romero said. "There's not much that can compare to that kind of feeling."

Another thing that has kept his battery charged is the enthusiasm that new officers bring to the job.

"I truly treasure that," he said of his excited charges over the years. "Their enthusiasm for the job and for making a positive impact on peoples' lives is something I would never get tired of."

The job, however, has its tiring moments. Tiring is often exacerbated by the tragedy, turmoil and heartbreak that goes hand-in-hand with the job.

Drugs — methamphetamines in particular — have made life as an officer a difficult one, Romero said.

"Drugs have made the job a really tough road for officers to travel," he said. "And with methamphetamines in the mix, it doesn't appear the road's going to get any easier to travel."

Brothers in Arms

Another thing that brings a smile to Romero's eyes is his close relationship — both personal and professional — with his brother, Billy Romero.

A pair of family tragedies, which claimed the lives of their father and Lawrence's 21-year-old son, was something that cemented the tight bond between brothers and partially fueled their desires to serve and protect.

The two became the first brother tandem in New Mexico history to hold sheriff's posts in neighboring counties — Lawrence in Valencia and Billy in Socorro.

Although it seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, the brothers would soon be reunited in their hometown — first as detectives for the local police force then as chiefs of police with Lawrence heading up the local police and his brother leading the New Mexico Tech police force.

Lawrence said that besides the Toys from Cops to Tots campaign, he will miss working with his brother the most.

"It's going to take some adjusting," Lawrence said. "I will really miss working with him; it's been a pleasure to work so closely with someone I care for so deeply."

Having endured tragedy and loss in his personal life is something Lawrence said made him a better law enforcement officer.

"When a victim sits across from me I always go the extra mile for them," Romero said. "I've walked in their shoes. And while I may not know the exact pain they're feeling, I've felt my share of crime-related pain and I have pretty good idea of what they're going through."

Assistant police chief Mike Winders said Romero will be sorely missed.

"It's a huge loss for the department — we're all going to miss him," Winders said. "I'm so happy for Lawrence, but he leaves some very big shoes to fill."

ggarner@dchieftain.com

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