Mayor Keller Announces Key Leadership Hires for Albuquerque Community Safety Department
June 21, 2023
The City has filled two key roles within the Albuquerque Community Safety Department (ACS). Layla Dehaiman will serve as the Deputy Director of Field Operations, and Jeffery Bustamante is being promoted to the Deputy Director of Violence Intervention and Prevention. Both bring years of relevant leadership experience needed to lead Albuquerque’s newest branch of public safety.
“Our Community Safety Department is quickly growing to meet the behavioral health needs of our city,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “These new deputy directors are equipped with the skills necessary to lead ACS through this growing phase and help us continue innovating our approach to public safety in Albuquerque.”
“We are fortunate to have these exceptional and experienced leaders at the helm of our department,” said Albuquerque Community Safety Director Mariela Ruiz-Angel. “They will be instrumental in taking our response to behavioral health crises and intervening in cycles of violence to the next level, helping us serve even more of our community.”
Layla Dehaiman, Deputy Director of Field Operations
Layla will oversee our field operations which includes ACS First Responders. Layla comes to ACS with a wide range of skills and experiences. She has a background in helping communities address behavioral health concerns, specializing in restorative practices, and crisis recovery. Layla received her bachelor’s degree in secondary education and a master’s degree in special education from the University of New Mexico. She is currently a Ph.D. Candidate at Syracuse University. Her dissertation is focused on the school-to-prison pipeline and the use of restorative practices. Previously, Layla worked for Albuquerque Public Schools where she supported restorative practices, suicide prevention and intervention, crisis recovery, and social-emotional learning. Layla also served at the New Mexico Public Education Department where she worked to support teacher recruitment and retention. Layla has also taught in higher education settings.
Jeffery Bustamante, Deputy Director of Violence Prevention and Intervention
Jeffery previously served as the ACS Division Manager for Organizational Growth and Community Relations. In this position, he showed his expertise by successfully streamlining our financial and grant processes. Jeffery also helped strengthen our partnerships with the community, while building new and lasting partnerships. Through his previous work, Jeffery has supported the growth of new organizations by serving as the Chief Executive Officer of the New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange. He also served as Scheduler & Constituent Services Liaison for former United States Representative Ben Ray Luján, and held a similar role with United States Senator Jeff Bingaman. Jeffery is completing his Ph.D. in Nursing & Health Innovation at Arizona State University. He holds a Master’s Degree in Health Innovation and a Bachelor of Political Science from the University of New Mexico.