On Tuesday, June 9, 2026, Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center employees and the Local 2499/AFSCME union submitted a vote of no confidence during Tuesday’s BernCO Commissioner Meeting against MDC Warden Steven Kai Smith over alleged mismanagement at the prison. The union represents correctional officers and guards at MDC.WATCH: View BernCO Commissioner meeting here “He said he wanted to build leaders, empower staff and move MDC forward. Two years later, the facade is crumbled. This is not leadership. It is a chess game of strategic self-protection, and in this game, he has positioned his pieces — his hierarchy to keep himself in check from responsibility and all repercussions,” MDC employee of 15 years Mary Rena said during Tuesday’s meeting.”Inmate-on-inmate violence is increasing. Assaults on staff are increasing. When supervisors raise legitimate safety concerns, they’re often ignored or told, ‘Make it happen.’ The consequences are becoming impossible to ignore,” Lt. Donovan Greathouse said.The union represents correctional officers and guards at MDC. According to Local 2499/AFSCME, more than 1,000 signatures were submitted for a vote of no confidence. However, people in support of Smith praised his leadership since his appointment in April 2024. Smith was in attendance for Tuesday’s meeting. “Since Warden Kai Smith stepped into this role, I have witnessed meaningful change. He is addressing issues that many before him failed to confront,” The mother of former MDC inmate Stephanie Apodaca said.BernCO Manager Cindy Chavez responds in support of Warden Steven Kai SmithOn Thursday, June 11, 2026, KOAT spoke with Bernalillo County Manager Cindy Chavez in response to the allegations. She expressed appreciation for Smith’s efforts and doesn’t plan on firing him. “I’m not going to let him go. The reason I so appreciate the warden is that he has taken a very holistic look at all the needs of the jail, and is trying to move on all of these fronts at the same time. It’s a really difficult job. It’s a complicated job. The fact of the matter is, we’ve had 34 years of challenges. It’s going to take some time to get us on the right road,” Chavez told KOAT.”The issue that came up over and over again is how we improve communication. We have been improving that. We’ll be working on that right away. There are other issues that were raised that are related to training or safety on the job, and those are my biggest priorities. He’s both approaching this with an open mind and an open heart,” Chavez said.In response to Chavez’s statement, Local 2499/AFSCME stated they plan to get more signatures in support of the warden’s removal and put “pressure” on the Bernalillo County Commissioners to have him step down.Stay updated from the latest on the KOAT app. Download here
On Tuesday, June 9, 2026, Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center employees and the Local 2499/AFSCME union submitted a vote of no confidence during Tuesday’s BernCO Commissioner Meeting against MDC Warden Steven Kai Smith over alleged mismanagement at the prison. The union represents correctional officers and guards at MDC.
WATCH: View BernCO Commissioner meeting here
“He said he wanted to build leaders, empower staff and move MDC forward. Two years later, the facade is crumbled. This is not leadership. It is a chess game of strategic self-protection, and in this game, he has positioned his pieces — his hierarchy to keep himself in check from responsibility and all repercussions,” MDC employee of 15 years Mary Rena said during Tuesday’s meeting.
“Inmate-on-inmate violence is increasing. Assaults on staff are increasing. When supervisors raise legitimate safety concerns, they’re often ignored or told, ‘Make it happen.’ The consequences are becoming impossible to ignore,” Lt. Donovan Greathouse said.
The union represents correctional officers and guards at MDC. According to Local 2499/AFSCME, more than 1,000 signatures were submitted for a vote of no confidence. However, people in support of Smith praised his leadership since his appointment in April 2024. Smith was in attendance for Tuesday’s meeting.
“Since Warden Kai Smith stepped into this role, I have witnessed meaningful change. He is addressing issues that many before him failed to confront,” The mother of former MDC inmate Stephanie Apodaca said.
BernCO Manager Cindy Chavez responds in support of Warden Steven Kai Smith
On Thursday, June 11, 2026, KOAT spoke with Bernalillo County Manager Cindy Chavez in response to the allegations. She expressed appreciation for Smith’s efforts and doesn’t plan on firing him.
“I’m not going to let him go. The reason I so appreciate the warden is that he has taken a very holistic look at all the needs of the jail, and is trying to move on all of these fronts at the same time. It’s a really difficult job. It’s a complicated job. The fact of the matter is, we’ve had 34 years of challenges. It’s going to take some time to get us on the right road,” Chavez told KOAT.
“The issue that came up over and over again is how we improve communication. We have been improving that. We’ll be working on that right away. There are other issues that were raised that are related to training or safety on the job, and those are my biggest priorities. He’s both approaching this with an open mind and an open heart,” Chavez said.
In response to Chavez’s statement, Local 2499/AFSCME stated they plan to get more signatures in support of the warden’s removal and put “pressure” on the Bernalillo County Commissioners to have him step down.
Stay updated from the latest on the KOAT app. Download
