Interim police chief appointed in Santa Fe

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Santa Fe officials have turned to a veteran of the police department to instill new leadership. Raymond Rael worked 21 years as a Santa Fe police officer before retiring.

The 57-year-old Rael takes over as police chief after this week's sudden resignation of Aric Wheeler.

Rael faces record burglary numbers, mass retirements among command staff members, job restructuring and low morale among the rank-and-file officers.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports Wheeler will remain with the department as a captain. The 39-year-old Wheeler told the city manager Tuesday he was stepping down as chief to spend more time with his family.

If you subscribe to the newspaper, you receive FREE access to all the exclusive content of the web site! Simply register to receive uninterrupted access to our award-winning and in-depth local online content!

Renew Current or Past Subscription / Register for Online Subscription

If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the Los Alamos Monitor, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.

Click the question mark below to see where your account ID appears on your mailing label.

Newspaper Acct. ID:
Street Address:	(exactly as it appears on the label)

If you are a subscriber and you do not know your account ID or don't have a copy of your newspaper available that shows the information on the address label you can click continue below to search for your account.

New Subscription/30 Day Free Trial Account

If you are new to the award winning Los Alamos Monitor and wish to get a subscription or simply gain access to our online content then please enter your ZIP code below and continue to setup your account.

ZIP Code:

Create a limited access account.
Register to participate in community forums, post on the community calendar, blog etc. This registration does not give you full access to read our award winning content, etc.

The Los Alamos Monitor | lacirculation@lamonitor.com | 505-662-4185
256 DP Road, Los Alamos, NM 87544
Office Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday