Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center employees and the Local 2499/AFSCME union submitted a vote of no confidence against MDC Warden Steven Kai Smith during the BernCO Commissioner Meeting on June 9, 2026. The union represents correctional officers and guards at MDC.

Allegations of Mismanagement

MDC employees allege low morale, fear of retaliation, lack of accountability, and an increase in preventable inmate deaths. "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.

Response from County Manager

BernCO Manager Cindy Chavez responded in support of Warden Steven Kai Smith, expressing appreciation for his efforts and stating that she 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.

Original reporting: KOAT Albuquerque — read the source article.