Democrat Jason Wardlow Herrera is running for Los Alamos County Sheriff and stopped by the Los Alamos Daily Post recently to answer questions about the local election. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

Staff Report

Democrat Jason Wardlow Herrera is running for Los Alamos County Sheriff. He recently stopped by the Los Alamos Daily Post to answer questions about the local election.

This is part of a series of Q&As with political candidates that the Post will publish ahead of the Nov. 8 General Election.

POST: How long have you lived in Los Alamos? 

WARDLOW HERRERA: I have lived in Los Alamos for 16 years.

POST: Where do you work? 

WARDLOW HERRERA: Retired Deputy Chief of Police from the Los Alamos Police Department after 16 years of service. 

POST: Why are you running for sheriff? 

WARDLOW HERRERA: I want to continue to serve my community by monitoring and updating the Sex Offender Registry to ensure the safety of our citizens.

POST: What do you believe is the most important role that sheriff  plays in Los Alamos County?

WARDLOW HERRERA: The most important role of the sheriff is to keep our citizens safe by holding sex offenders accountable in our community. The Sheriff of Los Alamos County only has one duty, the sheriff is responsible for maintaining the sex offender registry. The sheriff is responsible for updating the sex offender database, updating their flyers throughout the county and conducting unannounced home inspections of offenders to ensure they are abiding by state law and our local ordinances. The interaction between the sheriff and police department is critical to the success of the sheriff’s department.   Therefore, the assistance and cooperation of these two organizations is imperative for the sheriff’s department role in Los Alamos County.

POST: What skills and experience do you have that you believe would be beneficial to the position?

WARDLOW HERRERA: Law Enforcement Professional and leader with over 19 years of experience. FBI National Academy Graduate (2015). Retired from Los Alamos Police Department as the Deputy Chief of Police (2021). Graduate of West Texas A&M; BA in Criminal Justice; Taos County Deputy Sheriff (2005).

POST: What previous community involvement have you had in Los Alamos and outside of the community?

WARDLOW HERRERA: Since I moved to Los Alamos I have been involved in the community, I coach football for the Los Alamos Middle School, served as the Vice President for the Los Alamos Extreme Youth Football & Cheer, LA Extreme Football Coach (2014-2019), YMCA Basketball Coach (2018-2019), participated in 3 charity boxing matches, Pinon Trails HOA board member, and am the Vice President for the Four Corners Animal League (FCAL) in Taos.