Character Counts
Our Mission
Corrections Officers, like all people in public safety, are committed to improving their communities. At the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center, our Mission, Vision, and Values reflect that commitment. We serve our community, the inmates in our care, and our fellow officers. Everyone on our team strives to honor our five core values: integrity, honor, respect, compassion, and courage.
Integrity
As a highly motivated, paramilitary organization, our corrections officers are selflessly dedicated to the safety of our community, the inmates in our custody and our fellow officers. Integrity is about being true and steadfast in the face of the greatest adversity. It’s achieved every time you make the right decision when it might have been easier to blur the lines, ignore your gut, and fudge the rules. Instead of leaving the heavy lifting to others, those with integrity take responsibility for their actions instead of passing the buck.
Honor
It’s called honor, and those who have it understand what it feels like to be compelled to fight for justice, protect the downtrodden, and lend a helping hand to the less fortunate. Honor cannot be taught, and it cannot be faked. Honor is earned through action. It’s earned by remaining true and steadfast in the face of the greatest adversity. The duties of a corrections officer require honesty, personal responsibility and the moral courage to choose the harder right over the easier wrong.
Respect
From the Chief down, our entire team is committed to the philosophy that treating everyone with respect, including the inmates in our care, improves everyone’s experience. That focus on respect drives all of our interactions, be it with colleagues, civilians, or inmates. Leading all of your interactions with a respectful tone reduces conflict and fosters understanding.
Compassion
Compassion is critical. When inmates are treated poorly while in custody, they are more likely to be violent to each other, to corrections officers, to staff, and even to the general population when they are released. That’s why maintaining a professional, empathetic, and responsive relationship between staff and inmates is a critical aspect of the job.
Courage
This job is not for those who are weak of character. You will be responsible every day for maintaining the safety of your coworkers, of individuals in your custody, and of your community. You will be expected to make sure that the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center environment is a place of respect, integrity, and accountability. This is not a job for the faint of heart. Your team has your back and will expect you to have theirs.
Integrity
As a highly motivated, paramilitary organization, our corrections officers are selflessly dedicated to the safety of our community, the inmates in our custody and our fellow officers. Integrity is about being true and steadfast in the face of the greatest adversity. It’s achieved every time you make the right decision when it might have been easier to blur the lines, ignore your gut, and fudge the rules. Instead of leaving the heavy lifting to others, those with integrity take responsibility for their actions instead of passing the buck.
Honor
It’s called honor, and those who have it understand what it feels like to be compelled to fight for justice, protect the downtrodden, and lend a helping hand to the less fortunate. Honor cannot be taught, and it cannot be faked. Honor is earned through action. It’s earned by remaining true and steadfast in the face of the greatest adversity. The duties of a corrections officer require honesty, personal responsibility and the moral courage to choose the harder right over the easier wrong.
Respect
From the Chief down, our entire team is committed to the philosophy that treating everyone with respect, including the inmates in our care, improves everyone’s experience. That focus on respect drives all of our interactions, be it with colleagues, civilians, or inmates. Leading all of your interactions with a respectful tone reduces conflict and fosters understanding.
Compassion
Compassion is critical. When inmates are treated poorly while in custody, they are more likely to be violent to each other, to corrections officers, to staff, and even to the general population when they are released. That’s why maintaining a professional, empathetic, and responsive relationship between staff and inmates is a critical aspect of the job.
Courage
This job is not for those who are weak of character. You will be responsible every day for maintaining the safety of your coworkers, of individuals in your custody, and of your community. You will be expected to make sure that the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center environment is a place of respect, integrity, and accountability. This is not a job for the faint of heart. Your team has your back and will expect you to have theirs.