Racial Relations New Mexico

When he took over as Santa Fe police chief 13 months ago, Don Grady's promises were as expansive as the desert sky. He would restore the people's faith in their police, put more officers on the street and cut crime. His mission was to reform a police department that had resisted change for too long. Now Grady's performance is polarizing residents in a city that would rather be known for its distinctive pueblo architecture than for controversy.

For nearly three centuries, the inhabitants of isolated mountain villages in northern New Mexico have heated their homes and cooked their meals with firewood collected from the surrounding forests. Wood was abundant and, until this year, free for the taking. But now a lawsuit to protect the Mexican spotted owl, a bird that residents say they've never seen, has prompted the U.S. Forest Service to put much of the woods off limits.

For nearly three centuries, the inhabitants of isolated mountain villages in northern New Mexico have heated their homes and cooked their meals with firewood collected from the surrounding forests. Wood was abundant and, until this year, free for the taking. But now a lawsuit to protect the Mexican spotted owl, a bird that residents say they've never seen, has prompted the U.S. Forest Service to put much of the woods off limits.

When he took over as Santa Fe police chief 13 months ago, Don Grady's promises were as expansive as the desert sky. He would restore the people's faith in their police, put more officers on the street and cut crime. His mission was to reform a police department that had resisted change for too long. Now Grady's performance is polarizing residents in a city that would rather be known for its distinctive pueblo architecture than for controversy.