Dante Madrid is a standout correctional officer at the Otero County Prison Facility in Chaparral, NM.

“Madrid is very, very sharp. Very smart,” says Warden Hector Rios. “But at the same time, he is humble and he’s always willing to help others.”

While Warden Rios will say he’s surrounded by exemplary staff members, he’s happy to recognize Officer Madrid.

“We go back to [MTC’s] BIONIC – Believe It Or Not I Care [philosophy],” says Warden Rios. “Madrid plays that role perfectly. He’s BIONIC. He cares what he does.”

“I love the environment here,” explains Dante. “There’s always something to learn. Always something to do. You always want to be better.”

“He is one of our firearms instructors now,” Warden Rios says. “He’s also part of the Honor Guard. He’s also part of the emergency response team. And he is assigned to the transportation department.”

A proud military veteran, Dante keeps active and involved in his personal life.

“I do Brazilian jiu-jitsu,” says Dante. “It’s one of my passions. I love it. It translates here; it allows me to walk with a certain amount of confidence.”

At work, Dante is grateful for fellow staff members.

“Everybody feels like family,” he says. “You can invite anybody over to your house, go for a cookout, watch some sports, watch some football, whatever. So, it has that family culture. It’s a nice place to be. I enjoy it.”

“Otero is a good facility,” states Warden Rios. “It runs very smooth. And that’s because of the staff that we have here. And you see it with the operation, the daily operation of the facility. You know, the challenges are there. But at the end of the day, everybody is doing their job. And at the end of the day, we’re all going home to our families.”