Phillip Francisco is new Bloomfield Police Chief

Francisco has served as the Navajo Nation Police Chief since August 2016. He will begin his new job as Bloomfield Chief of Police in January. Navajo Nation Deputy Police Chief Daryl Noon will become Chief in 2022.

From the office of the Navajo President & Vice President:

November 30, 2021

Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer announced on Tuesday that Navajo Police Chief Phillip B. Francisco will step down as the head of the Navajo Police Department at the end of December, to become the new Chief of Police for the Bloomfield Police Department in New Mexico. Current Navajo Deputy Chief of Police Daryl Noon will transition to serve as the new Chief of Police for the Navajo Nation.

President Nez, who served as Vice President of Navajo Nation when Chief Francisco was selected to lead the Navajo Police force in August 2016, offered his support for the transition and thanked Chief Francisco for his dedication and service to the Navajo people.

“Chief Francisco will always be recognized as a Diné warrior who served our people on the frontlines with great honor and commitment. Under his leadership, the Navajo Police Department has experienced vast improvements. My words are not enough to thank him for his contributions and for going above and beyond to overcome challenges to make our communities safer. We have complete confidence that Deputy Chief Noon will carry on the progress that is being made and build on the success that he and Chief Francisco developed together,” said President Nez.

Under the leadership of Police Chief Francisco, the Navajo Police Department re-established the Navajo Police training academy which helped to recruit more police officer candidates and to increase the overall Navajo Police force. Among many other accomplishments, he also led the effort to increase salaries for Navajo Police Officers, which made pay more competitive and helped to recruit and retain more officers.

“I strongly believe that Chief Francisco was the answer to our prayers in many aspects. There is so much progress and accomplishments that were made under his leadership, but he always remained humble and credited his fellow officers. We thank him and his family and we pray for his continued success with the Bloomfield Police Department,” said Vice President Lizer.

Chief Francisco expressed his appreciation to the Navajo Police Department and to the community members of the Navajo Nation stating, “It’s been an honor to serve with the great men and women of the Navajo Police Department. I am extremely proud to have been a part of this department. It’s been an honor and privilege to serve the community members of the Navajo Nation and our visitors.”

Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety Executive Director Jesse Delmar also expressed his appreciation to Police Chief Francisco and offered his full support for Deputy Chief Noon’s transition to lead the Navajo Police Department.

“I had the honor of working closely with Chief Francisco for several years. The commitment and dedication that he served with is second to none. I am very grateful to him and his family, Deputy Chief Noon, and all of our officers who sacrifice so much for our people. Chief Francisco has committed to helping the Navajo Police Department transition to the leadership of Deputy Chief Noon. We look forward to continuing our work together,” said Delmar.

Daryl Noon has served as the Deputy Chief of Police for the Navajo Nation since January 2019. He previously served with the Farmington Police Department in several capacities, including deputy chief, for more than 23 years. He is a member of the Navajo Nation and was born in Fort Defiance, Ariz. and previously resided in Shiprock, N.M. Noon will transition to the position of Navajo Police Chief when Francisco leaves at the end of the year.