Chief discusses officer shortage, goals for NPD

TSÉBIGHÁHOODZÁNÍ

When Daryl Noon took over the Navajo Police Department in January, his agenda focused on “The Road to 500.”

The Road to 500, based on an assessment strategy, would carry out the essential functions of police work in Diné Bikéyah.

Noon, who took the oath of office on Jan. 3, said NPD needs at least 900 more police officers to fill its thinning ranks.

The department is struggling to recruit and hire police officers as the number of applicants has dropped. And it’s not a result of the coronavirus.

An agency report, prepared by NPD’s organizational assessment, last year suggested “dangerously low” staffing and the goal to hire 500 police officers within the next five years.

“Our theme is ‘The Road to 500,’” Noon said.

One of Noon’s other goals is leadership development because complaints about problems in the Nation are rising. This would not have happened if NPD had an active supervisor paying attention to things, said Noon.

“I want to start focusing more attention on the career development of our noncommissioned staff,” Noon explained.

Noon said he wants to make sure that uniformed officers understand that the men and women who operate the business in the police department’s human resource and personnel departments do a majority of all the work.

“That’s the work that often goes unseen and is unappreciated,” Noon said. “We’ve found gaps in our management of those areas. I want to make sure that not just with uniformed officers, but all of our support staff are comparable to agencies our size are paying their support staff.

“When I talk about the men and women of Navajo PD, I include them as well,” he said. “They do a tremendous amount of work.”

A new chief

For two years, Noon was the deputy chief of police alongside Phillip Francisco, who stepped down as chief at the end of 2021.

Noon served in the Farmington Police Department for 23 years before switching over to the NPD.

Noon said Francisco recruited him after attending a work session at San Juan College, where Francisco met with his commanders one day.

“I asked my boss, (Farmington Police) Chief Steve Hebbe if I could go to this,” Noon said. “He knew this is what I wanted to do, so he gave me time off to do that.

“At the time,” he said, “I met (Francisco’s) commanders and sat in a planning session with them and got to know them.”

Noon said the transition from Farmington PD to Navajo PD wasn’t bad because Francisco’s team already knew him.

“I didn’t step into this cold,” he said. “When I got here, everybody was just so helpful and so nice. It’s been a very good experience for me so far.”

Becoming police chief, though, was never on Noon’s radar when he first started at NPD in January 2019, but he’s thankful for the opportunity and honored to lead the men and women of NPD.

Noon said his role now is strictly administrative, which might have been why Francisco needed a deputy chief because he’s experiencing a full schedule, and it fills up fast with meetings.

“So, when I got here, he focused on (administrative) while I focused on operational control,” Noon said.

Noon’s deputy chief of police is Ronald Silversmith.

“I appreciate Chief Francisco bringing me here,” Noon said. “When it was my turn to pick a deputy chief of police, I’m glad we had an outside influence that came to the Navajo PD.”

Noon’s new training academy commander, Lt. Donnie Kee, is a former Farmington police officer and a San Juan County Sheriff’s officer.

“I really enjoy working with the men and women of Navajo PD,” Noon said. “When the choice came for Chief Francisco and he decided to go, he asked if I would take the helm. I said, ‘Yeah.’ It’s an honor.

“So far, things have been good. I really can’t complain,” he said. “I know there’s a lot of issues out there with missing and murdered topics and drugs and gangs. There are a lot of (other) issues out there. It’s tough with where we’re at, but I’m enjoying myself so far.”

Noon was born in Tséhootsooí. He is Honágháahnii and born for Bilagáana. His maternal grandfather is Bitáá’chii’nii (Táchii’nii), and his paternal grandfather is Béésh Bich’ahii.

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