Albuquerque Restaurants Raise Funds for Family of Fallen BCSO Sergeant

A coordinated show of support from Albuquerque metro restaurants turned Monday's food orders into a fundraiser for the family of Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Michael Schlattman, who died in the line of duty on Feb. 22 after a semi-truck slammed into his patrol vehicle during a traffic stop on Interstate 40 near Carnuel.

Pizza 9, across all its metro locations, and Chello Grill each committed to donating 100% of profits from food orders for the day. Additional restaurants from across New Mexico joined the effort. Both Albuquerque anchors of the fundraiser operate under the Pizza 9 Hospitality Group, which is headquartered in Rio Rancho.

Schlattman had been conducting a routine traffic stop on the stretch of I-40 east of Albuquerque when a truck struck his cruiser and pinned him beneath it. He died at the scene. He had served BCSO for more than 13 years and was promoted to sergeant in 2024, having previously worked as a detective in the department's special investigations and auto theft units and as a task force officer with both the U.S. Marshals Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Hundreds gathered at the Rio Rancho Events Center on March 2 for his memorial. The date carried an additional weight: it would have been his 53rd birthday.

Monday's restaurant fundraiser is the latest in a wave of community-organized support for his fiancée and family. The nonprofit Ten-82, founded in 2008 by officers from the Rio Rancho Police Department and BCSO to assist public servants facing hardship, previously hosted a phone-in donation drive with proceeds directed to the Schlattman family. Schlattman was the first New Mexico law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty in 2026.