The new chief of the Gallup Police Department is stepping up efforts to address the number of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.
"Seeing the amount of people that are reported missing and those that we don't really have any success in their cases, it's really sad," Chief Erin Toadlena-Pablo told KOAT.
Gallup can be a busy town, especially on weekends. "We can see almost about 90,000 [people] on the weekend because we're a border town, and a lot of people come here for their services," Toadlena-Pablo, said.
All is well until someone goes missing.
New Mexico's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives Task Force reported in 2020 that Gallup had 675 cases of missing people over six years. In 2017, the Urban Indian Health Institute listed the city as one of the top 10 cities in the United States with the highest number of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.
Previously, police would issue fliers and make an initial report in response to missing people. Toadlena-Pablo, a mother of six, wants to enhance those efforts with more updates to impacted families. "I need to know when I communicate with my children what's going on," the chief said. "And if I don't hear something, I'm feeling like I'm put in the dark. So definitely, we want to make sure that we're doing that and giving updates on a case."
Toadlena-Pablo is improving collaboration with other law enforcement agencies in the area, saying they have been meeting with the Navajo Nation and the FBI and communicating with State police and the local sheriff's department.
The chief thinks educating young people about the dangers is also important. "I think if you have that talk with your child or your niece and nephew, grandchildren, I think that they know that it's important, and they'll be aware," Toadlena-Pablo said.
The chief also wants to use social media more to help get the word out. "Time is essential," she said. "And if you can report that and we can get it done that's what we're doing."