Soaring Housing Costs Push Santa Fe Police Into Rio Rancho

Only 39 of the Santa Fe Police Department’s 159 officers live within city limits, as soaring housing costs push many to commute about 50 miles from Rio Rancho, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports. Another 22 live in Santa Fe County, but 49 officers, the largest share, live in Sandoval County, home to Rio Rancho. At the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, nearly 3 in 10 sworn deputies also live in Rio Rancho.

Officer Patrick Pinson and his wife started looking for a home in Santa Fe in 2017, when homes were selling for $250 to $300 per square foot, more than double the cost in Rio Rancho at the time, he said. The houses they could afford were roughly 900 to 1,000 square feet, too small for a growing family, so they left. "There’s a really high concentration of law enforcement in Rio Rancho due to the affordability," Pinson told the Santa Fe New Mexican.

Rio Rancho Mayor Paul Wymer frames the influx as an advantage, saying police cruisers parked in neighborhoods create a sense of security and reinforce the city’s reputation as one of the safest in the state. For Santa Fe, though, long commutes can make it harder for officers to stay connected to the communities they police.

Santa Fe Mayor Michael Garcia said he wants residents engaged with police and fire daily, not only during crises. Meanwhile, Pinson said the drive on Interstate 25 can take up to two hours when crashes close lanes, but his family is content in Rio Rancho and hasn’t considered moving back.

Editor’s note: Updated Oct. 31, 2026. This story is now part of Daily Reports, our New Mexico news roundup, and was revised to credit the Santa Fe New Mexican’s original reporting. Learn how Daily Reports works in our editorial standards.