Ladies in law, the women of the sheriff’s department

Not all “sheroes” wear capes; some of them wear a smile on top of their uniforms. Deputy Agusta Amaro’s little son thinks his “mammo” slays dragons at work, and in so many ways she and the other women of the Socorro County Sheriff’s Department do in ways even they may not recognize.

Amaro graduated from the Police Academy in 2023 after majoring in criminal justice at CNM. At the Sheriff’s Department she started as a cadet, and the department supported her through the academy where afterwards she became a sheriff’s deputy. Her aunt was a secretary at the department when Amaro was young, so she grew up around the department, watching officers at work.

Now over a year into being a deputy, Amaro said she has become known as the “kids cop” who takes a lot of the CYFD calls that come in because of how well little ones respond to her. Amaro is a mother of one, and her wife, Chanitlly, is expecting soon. Aside from her own family, the deputy also has a history of coaching Tee-ball up through high school softball, as well as growing up in a huge family.

“I’m good with kids, and that’s just kind of who I am,” she said, adding that she’s noticed that children gravitate to her on calls, and that female officers’ strength is often calming people down and getting communication flowing. “The guys [in the department] are really great, there’s no doubt about it, but we all kind of work off of our strengths. Sometimes my strength is different than theirs… It doesn’t matter what kind of call it is, people will end up talking to me, and we can get down to the bottom of it.”

The undersheriff at the department is Amanda Vega, who started the role in 2016. Amado said that when Vega speaks, everyone listens.

“We all come into her office, and if she has something to say, it’s quiet as a mouse in here,” she said.

Undersheriff Vega started with the department in 2012 as a transportation officer and worked her way up to her current position when Sheriff Lee Armijo appointed her in 2022. Vega’s position handles duties including managing admin staff, grants, a lot of paperwork and making sure equipment runs accordingly.

Vega said she was drawn to law enforcement from a desire to make the people of her community safer and give them a safe place to go if they needed help. Her brother-in-law was a state police officer , and she credits him for pointing her in this direction.

“I have a very strong personality, and you have to have that to be in law enforcement or any sort of public safety,” she said, adding that her favorite part of her job is being of service to those around her. “...helping people, helping the guys, making sure they have what they need. We’re a family so their wives, their kids, it’s amazing to see their families grow. And that’s the part that I like about it, being able to help the community.”

Debbie Williams-Baker, the executive secretary for the sheriff’s office, credits a detail-oriented mind to part of her success in keeping the department organized.

“Even just taking messages, I feel like I’m supporting,” Williams-Baker said. “It’s rewarding work.”

She acknowledges that women in law enforcement come in with a different perspective, a viewpoint that some might describe as an intuition, that is a valuable addition to the overall department.