Darrell Smith began his lengthy career in Law Enforcement in the Early 60s as a deputy for the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office where he eventually moved over to the Las Cruces Police Department taking a seat in dispatch, deciding he wanted a career in communications. He became the supervisor in charge of dispatch and eventually had a major role in the development of the Mesilla Valley Regional Dispatch Authority (MVRDA) which became the first consolidated 911 dispatch center in the state of New Mexico. He worked at MVRDA as the first Deputy Director and eventually the first 911 Coordinator. After he retired from MVRDA he accepted a job providing maintenance to 911 logging recorders for New Mexico PSAPS. This allowed him to travel all over New Mexico maintaining good relationships with communication centers throughout the region. Darrell Smith passed away on January 21, 2023. He had a large role in our New Mexico APCO and NENA organizations leading our 911 community in legislative issues that paved the way for New Mexico 911 to continue its success in many areas. 

Being our first year honoring Darrel with a scholarship, members of our vendor community will choose one lucky scholar to attend the Conference in Las Cruces in May 2023. From this point forward we will seek contributions to this fund to continue the momentum of what Darrel had going in training for New Mexico Public Safety Telecommunicators. Donations will be accepted now and through the conference. A QR Code will be provided below to contribute to this scholarship. We will announce the progress throughout the New Mexico Conference. 

Don't forget to Email newmexicoapconena@gmail.com to request a scholarship application form.