By Daniel J. Chacón
A group of high rollers who passed through Santa Fe in expensive cars last month avoided the normal hassles of traffic, courtesy of taxpayers.
The Santa Fe Police Department assigned a dozen law-enforcement officers, including a captain and a lieutenant, to escort the caravan of wealthy car enthusiasts through traffic March 28.
The 10-hour traffic escort cost $4,605, including more than $2,000 in overtime pay, according to documents obtained under an open-records request.
The documents don’t include the cost of fuel for the police vehicles, which were filled up before the start of the escort.
“The Santa Fe Police Department Support Operations Division will ensure that the safety of the public is first and that all traffic laws are followed,” according to an operations plan for the traffic escort.
“The Support Operations Division will provide a safe escort with the safety of the community in mind,” the plan states.
Organizers of the luxury motoring tour, dubbed “The Jewel that is the U.S.A,” requested the traffic escort, said city spokeswoman Jodi McGinnis Porter, who defended the city’s decision to provide it.
“The public safety provided by the City for this escort prevented any incidents from occurring, promoted the City of Santa Fe to very high profile individuals and leaders from all over the world who spent two days, lodging, dining and shopping in our city,” she said Monday in an email.
The cars, just like members of the group, came from different parts of the world, including Hong Kong, Switzerland, Sweden, Australia and New York City. The cars, some of which had the steering wheel on the right-hand side, included a 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster, a couple of Aston Martins, several Bentleys and four Rolls-Royce Phantoms.
“These are cars ranging in year from 1950 to 2013 — Rolls-Royces, Aston Martins, Bentleys — and drivers who this would be the first time they were driving in the USA,” McGinnis Porter said. “So yes, I do think that public safety would’ve been the biggest concern dealing with foreign drivers and foreign cars.”
The group, which included heiress and actress Patty Hearst, spent two nights at the Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe, starting March 27.
The next day, on March 28, police escorted the group from the Four Seasons to Madrid, Eaves Movie Ranch, Seret and Sons in downtown Santa Fe and the Camel Rock gas station before ending the escort back at the hotel at about 6 p.m., according to the operations plan.
“A total number of 12 personnel and along with their department issued vehicles was used to safely escort the package of 22 vehicles to various destinations throughout Santa Fe City and County,” the plan states.
“One [public safety aide] was on overtime for ten hours, followed by all additional Santa Fe personnel on overtime from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.,” documents state.
Two Santa Fe County sheriff’s deputies also participated in the escort, but only for about an hour.
“We actually had a crazy week of training that week, so we were only able to assist with the first leg,” said Sgt. Diego Lucero, commander of the sheriff’s Community Support Services Division. “Basically, we assisted from the Rancho Encantado resort in Tesuque to the town of Madrid. That was our only involvement due to other obligations.”
The sheriff’s office “probably” would’ve provided more deputies to assist with the traffic escort, but the city’s request was made only the day before, Lucero said. Such requests are typically made three to four days in advance “at a minimum,” he said.