Hundreds gather in Rio Rancho to honor slain BCSO Sgt. Michael Schlattman

Hundreds filled the Rio Rancho Events Center to honor Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Michael Schlattman, whose death during a traffic stop on Interstate 40 left colleagues, family and neighbors mourning. The public memorial held March 2 coincided with what would have been Schlattman’s 53rd birthday and drew law enforcement from across the region.

Schlattman was killed Feb. 23 after a semi-truck slammed into the rear of his patrol unit near mile marker 170 on eastbound I-40 in the East Mountains, authorities said. He had called in the stop just before 5 p.m., was outside his vehicle when the tractor-trailer struck the patrol unit, and was pinned underneath and pronounced dead at the scene. The truck driver was treated and released at the University of New Mexico Hospital and, as of the Monday after the crash, had not been charged or cited while investigators continued their work.

Rio Rancho Police are leading the investigation, with New Mexico State Police and the BCSO traffic unit assisting, and investigators are reviewing dashcam and body-camera footage along with witness accounts, including a report that the same truck nearly forced a female driver off the road shortly before the collision. Those investigative steps remain active as officials seek to reconstruct the sequence that led to the fatal impact.

The memorial crowd was described by speakers and attendees as mostly law enforcement; hundreds of officers, family members, elected officials and community members filled the Events Center and lined the procession route. An American flag waved and police sirens blared as people traded memories, laughter and grief; many left flowers and notes at the BCSO East Command in the days after Schlattman’s death. Tijeras resident Ruth Herrea said she traveled to leave flowers and pay respects, noting, “Today actually was the only day I could come and you know put some flowers and you know pay my respects because you know, they are doing stuff for us and you know that’s the least I could do.”

Speakers at the service painted Schlattman as a reliable, joyful presence. Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen said, “The example he set through his kindness, his resilience, his humor and his relentless drive has led us all on the path to follow,” and closed his tribute with, “Schlatty, I love you. Rest in peace, and we will take it from here.” Captain Santiago Roybal recalled that “it’s almost impossible to talk about Mike without having a smile on my face,” adding, “Mike was someone that you could count on. He’d have your back without question. And as a supervisor, I could count on him to complete any assignment I gave him,” and saying he learned “very quickly he was more like an M&M with a tough guy shell, because on the inside, he was the sweetest person.”

Family and friends spoke alongside law enforcement. Stepson Corbin Tedder, fighting back emotion, told the crowd, “Many of y’all knew him as Sergeant Schlattman. I didn’t. I knew him as pops.” Friend Brendan Flynn added, “I love Mike Schlattman. Didn’t get to hug him enough. Didn’t get to tell him what he meant to me. He stepped up. He looked out for me. He became my brother.”

Schlattman was a 13-year veteran of the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and is survived by his fiancée, two stepchildren, a sister, his mother and his father. His death is the first line-of-duty death of a law enforcement officer in New Mexico this year. Investigators and the sheriff’s office continue to review footage and witness statements as the community maintains tributes at East Command and prepares for follow-up services and honors.