As he stood ramrod straight at the side of a room at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center, it wasn't easy to see the misty-eyed pride on Eloy Gallegos' face as he watched his nephew, Police Chief Aric Wheeler, get sworn in Monday afternoon.

But close up, you could see a few tears choked back, a few words coming out a little slowly as Gallegos, 61, looked fondly at his nephew and the 170 or so onlookers who came to see Wheeler take over the reins.

"Needless to say, he's my favorite nephew," said Gallegos, who served as a New Mexico State Police officer from 1970 to 1993. "I'm sure he knows that. I know he'll do a good job."

Talk to Wheeler for even a few minutes about his career, and his affection for his uncle also comes through clearly. Gallegos was somebody he wanted to be like and somebody who helped him come up with his moral foundation, Wheeler said.

"I think everybody has that role model, where you like their value systems, you look up to them," Wheeler said. "My uncle, he had those values. He was a police officer. He was somebody I just always looked up to."

Back when 37-year-old Wheeler first became a sergeant, he asked Gallegos to pin his stripes on.

On Monday, he asked his uncle to do the honor again, along with two other people he said are important figures in his life.

Gallegos pinned a set of chief's stars on his nephew's right shoulder. Former Chief Eric Johnson pinned a set on Wheeler's left shoulder. And Wheeler's wife, Michelle, pinned on his new badge.

"My wife, if she hadn't been here throughout my career, I wouldn't have been able to do this," Wheeler said before the ceremony. "I'm a little bit overwhelmed by it all. You always say you want to be chief, but now that it's here, it's a little bit breathtaking."

Wheeler, his wife, and their four children live in Eldorado. During the ceremony, Wheeler looked over at Michelle repeatedly and thanked her for her help and support during his 16 years on the force.

After he thanked her, Michelle, a nurse at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, pushed her husband away from the podium and stepped up to the microphone.

"I've always felt that I was safe with him," she said of Wheeler. "I think that's one thing Aric is going to bring to the community, is that feeling of safeness."

Before his speech, Wheeler also praised Johnson, who retired Friday, for his help and mentorship during Wheeler's time as deputy chief.

"When he appointed me as deputy chief, I came in and I had a huge amount of energy — and I did too many things," Wheeler said. "He taught me how to control and manage my time. He also taught me leadership abilities."

Johnson and other staff members also trained Wheeler about the financial side of being a police chief, Wheeler said.

"It was a huge learning curve for me, learning how line items work, how to pay for equipment," Wheeler said, adding that he has his eye on some grants, stimulus money and other funding sources to help keep the department up to date with the latest technology.

"I think we're in a technological change type of atmosphere," Wheeler said. "Eric wasn't the most technology savvy chief and neither am I, but I think we have a lot of younger officers moving forward that will help us with that. We need to get everybody using computers and comfortable with them."

One goal as he steps in is to use technology to reduce the amount of paperwork that flows through the department each day, he said.

Computerizing records and streamlining procedures are ways that the department could save time and resources as the city contemplates annexing neighborhoods on the south side, he said.

"I already have an annexation committee together, and we're talking about things we can do," Wheeler said, adding that the annexation could stretch police resources if no careful planning is done.

Johnson said he was proud of how well Wheeler handled the learning curve in preparation for his new position.

"When I brought him in a little over a year and a half ago, he jumped in head first and did a great job," Johnson said. "I think he's very well-rounded. He handles stress very well, and I think that's important in any chief. I'm looking forward to seeing him grow."

Gallegos also said he thinks his nephew will do a fine job in leading the department.

"Everybody likes him," Gallegos said. "He's not the type to say anything bad behind somebody's back. He'll tell you straight up what's happening. He's not the type to carry a grudge. I just wish him the best, and I'll keep him in my prayers, along with all the other officers."

Contact Sue Vorenberg at svorenberg@sfnewmexican.com.