State Law Enforcement Academy announces new leadership

SANTA FE - The Department of Public Safety's New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy is ushering in a new era in 2026, with leadership changes poised to benefit law enforcement and communities throughout the state.

Leading the way for the academy will be newly promoted Deputy Director of Operations Jessica Arballo, who previously served at the academy as the Operations Staff Manager among other acting leadership roles; and newly hired Deputy Director of Training is Jason Foster, who is beginning his 27^th year in law enforcement.

New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy new Deputy Director of Operations Jessica Arballo.

"I'm pleased to announce that we have filled two critical leadership roles at the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy," said New Mexico Department of Public Safety Deputy Cabinet Secretary Sylvia Serna. "This is a well-earned internal promotion for Jessica Arballo. We are excited also to welcome Jason Foster as our new Deputy Director of Training. These appointments reinforce our commitment to standards, consistency, and the highest level of professionalism for the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy."

Arballo brings nearly 20 years of progressive leadership in public-sector operations, statewide program management, and regulatory compliance across public safety, corrections, and government administration.

Foster retired as a Lieutenant from the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office, where he became the first deputy to receive the Medal of Valor in 2018, along with a Life Saving Award from the same incident.

New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy new Deputy Director of Training Jason Foster.

"Our vision is to strengthen the academy as a statewide leader in law enforcement training through a modernized curriculum, consistent standards and strong accountability across both basic and advanced programs," said Arballo and Foster. "We are committed to developing highly skilled, ethical, and community-focused law enforcement professionals through comprehensive training and leadership development.

"Our goal is to prepare recruits and tomorrow's leaders to serve with integrity, accountability and excellence while strengthening public trust and advancing public safety across New Mexico," Arballo and Foster added. "By maintaining updated training, ensuring compliance, streamlining cadet admissions, upholding high-quality instructor certification standards and delivering exceptional service, resources and guidance to agencies statewide, the academy continues to support the mission of the Department of Public Safety. With the opening of our new reality-based training center later this year, we look forward to modernizing training standards and introducing innovative, dynamic blocks of instruction that further advance that mission."

Full biographies

Deputy Director of Operations: Jessica Arballo

Jessica Ochoa-Arballo joins the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy as Deputy Director of Operations, bringing nearly 20 years of progressive leadership in public-sector operations, statewide program management, and regulatory compliance across public safety, corrections, and government administration. Early in her career, she built a strong foundation in supervisory leadership in the financial services industry, guiding teams to improve performance, strengthen compliance, and enhance operational efficiency. She then served as Operations Manager at the Santa Fe County Detention Facility, directing day-to-day operations, leading large teams, implementing major systems and programs, and ensuring alignment with applicable standards and protocols.

She later held senior leadership roles with the New Mexico Department of Public Safety as a Manager and Chief Records Custodian, overseeing high-risk regulatory functions including Inspection of Public Records Act, the Sex Offender Registration Unit, and district administration, with responsibility for personnel, contracts, and operational governance. At the academy, she has modernized infrastructure by restructuring curriculum, accreditation, certification, admissions, and compliance processes to strengthen consistency across nine satellite academies and ensure alignment with the New Mexico Administrative Code, statute, and the Law Enforcement Training Act. She also provides operational oversight for the Law Enforcement Certification Board and leads Academy Information System governance, audit protocols, and reporting to support DPS policy and legislative needs.

Jessica has specialized training in critical-incident leadership, performance management and succession planning, and project management, and maintains key compliance credentials, including National Crime Information Center/New Mexico Law Enforcement Telecommunications System.

Deputy Director of Training: Jason Foster

Jason Foster joins the New Mexico Department of Public Safety with more than 26 years of law enforcement, frontline supervision, and officer training experience. A University of New Mexico criminology graduate, he began his career with the New Mexico State Police, graduating from the 62nd Recruit Class (1999) and earning statewide recognition in 2000 from New Mexico State Police and Mothers Against Drunk Driving for most DWI arrests that year.

He later served more than 22 years with the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office, primarily in Field Services, where he became a Field Training Officer and trained numerous deputies - several of whom advanced into senior leadership roles. He also served as a Street Crimes Detective and then in the DWI Unit, earning advanced credentials as an Standarized Field Sobriety Test Instructor, Crash Reconstructionist, and Drug Recognition Expert, and supporting academy training and fatal-collision investigations.

Promoted to Sergeant (2011), Foster spent over 12 years supervising deputies and critical incidents across area commands and shifts, including mentoring newly promoted supervisors as a Field Training Sergeant. He completed the Northwestern University School of Supervision of Police Personnel and multiple advanced leadership and critical-incident courses. In 2018, he became the first Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office deputy to receive the Medal of Valor, along with a Life Saving Award from the same incident. Promoted to Lieutenant (2023), he continued in Field Services to mentor and develop deputies and sergeants, reflecting a career-long commitment to operational excellence, ethics, and officer development.

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