Santa Ana Pueblo opens new judicial complex

SANTA ANA PUEBLO – State officials, police and sheriff’s officers, and tribal leaders gathered at 11 West Prairie Star Road on the Santa Ana Pueblo on Friday morning for the ribbon cutting at the new Santa Ana Pueblo Judicial and Public Safety Complex.

The new, 20,000-square-foot building project had a big crowd in attendance for the grand opening. The $15 million project was largely funded through grants and capital outlay funds,according to a report from the New Mexico Legislature.

Though the building is the new home of theSanta Ana Police Department and tribal court operations, speakers at the ceremony were consistent in saying the new building is a place for bettering the community, offering community services and assistance, as well as adjudicating tribal cases.

“This is a place where everyone entering will be treated with honor and respect,” said Santa Ana Gov. Myron Armijo in a speech to the gathered crowd.

Several speakers recounted stories of their own experiences and thanked Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office for the funding assistance.

“I remember, when I started, there was a desk and a table in a little room,” said Judge Tammi Lambert. “And now, I have my own bathroom. ... This is just amazing what the tribe has done and the state. Thank you to everyone involved.”

Before this opening, the tribal court shared space with the Santa Ana Pueblo Governor’s Office, utilizing their boardroom. According to a New Mexico Legislature report, the tribe has been trying to get a new judicial complex built since 2013.

After speeches from law enforcement, Armijo and representatives from Lujan Grisham’s office, the big red ribbon was cut, and attendees were offered a tour of the building.

The previous Santa Ana Police Department was in the heart of the pueblo, making accessing services more difficult. The new complex sits on a five-acre parcel of land next to the pueblo’s Fire Station 21.

“The new location will allow for faster responses to the areas of the pueblo with the highest emergency response requests and easy access to the local highway system,” the pueblo said in a news release.