Gallup, Navajo Nation police create mutual aid pact for emergencies

Gallup and Navajo Nation police have formally set up a mutual aid pact meant to move officers across jurisdiction lines when emergencies overwhelm one department’s staffing or collide with another major incident. The agreement covers voluntary backup only during disasters or emergencies, not routine calls, and it applies within the City of Gallup and the New Mexico portion of the Navajo Nation.

Gallup Police Chief Erin Toadlena-Pablo presented the deal to the Gallup City Council at its regular meeting on May 12, 2026. The written agreement is between the Navajo Police Department, part of the Navajo Division of Public Safety, and the City of Gallup on behalf of the Gallup Police Department.

The pact does not change sovereign authority or legal jurisdiction. Instead, it is built on mutual respect for the sovereignty of the Navajo Nation, the State of New Mexico and the City of Gallup. It also creates no third-party rights or obligations beyond existing law. Under the agreement, the Navajo Police Department may request Gallup’s help, and Gallup officers may respond to a disaster or emergency on Navajo land that needs immediate response or aid. Fresh pursuit and limited case-by-case extensions are allowed where law permits.

The departments wanted to avoid tying themselves to small, routine calls and intended the agreement for major incidents only. Erika Pirotte said the pact still must go to the governor for review after local approval, because New Mexico law requires approval by the agency involved and by the governor.

On April 26, 2024, a BNSF freight train derailed 35 railcars near Manuelito, including six tank cars loaded with liquefied petroleum gas. Four were breached and ignited, 52 people were evacuated and Interstate 40 was closed in both directions for about 48 hours. The National Transportation Safety Board reported no injuries, and McKinley County’s emergency management office later pointed to prolonged closures and stranded motorists.

In August 2022, a drunk driver drove through Gallup’s 100th Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial parade route and injured at least 15 people. Jeff Irving of Pinedale later pleaded guilty to multiple aggravated battery charges tied to the crash.