Tucumcari police target of investigation

TUCUMCARI – The Tucumcari police chief confirmed Wednesday a Snapchat video showing police officers with a significant amount of cash is the subject of a police investigation.

One of the captions with the video stated: “This is what we do with the drug money we confiscate.” At one point the money is tossed into the air.

But TPD Chief Patti Lopez said the cash wasn’t confiscated from an arrest.

Instead, she said, it was money that one of the officers won while gambling at a casino.

Lopez described the video as “officers making poor choices” and added: “I was not happy.”

The chief said she didn’t have a timeline of when the investigation would be completed.

Citing personnel reasons, she declined to identify the officers or whether they have been suspended or disciplined.