Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief of Police Sammy Trujillo died from complications as a result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty.
Chief Trujillo had served with the Village of Taos Ski Valley Police Department for 21 years.
COVID-19 and Law Enforcement
Chief of Police Sam J. Trujillo died on November 3, 2021 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 64.
He is one of 884 officers honored here.
Beginning in early 2020, law enforcement officers across the country contracted COVID-19 in the course of their duties. While much of the nation sheltered at home, they kept answering calls, making arrests, transporting prisoners, and working face to face with the public. There was no distance to be had from the job.
Corrections officers were hit hardest. Confined facilities and large populations meant constant, close, unavoidable exposure.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, two sons, a daughter, four grandchildren, and brothers and sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NM-BFEC36FB- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Chief of Police Trujillo gave the Taos Ski Valley Police Department 21 years.
Thank you for your service to the Taos Ski Valley community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Trujillo.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief of Police Sam J. Trujillo is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In NM, 5 of 193 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 2.6% of this state's fallen. That is 6.5 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Sam J. Trujillo's cause is highlighted.
How Sam J. Trujillo Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Sam J. Trujillo is highlighted in Nov.