Conclusions

Here are some results of the ABQ i-team’s report on city residents’ views on crime, based on surveys and focus groups:

among crime residents. cited ■ Violent automobile issues the Instead, crime most concerning pressing theft, was they not home and order. home burglary, invasion, drug in abuse that

said ■ 47 they percent have been of people the victim of property crime in the last three years, and more than half the respondents expect to be a victim of a crime in the next year.

■ For people who live in high-crime areas, they can tell crime is affecting the city because they frequently see the SWAT team and hear gunshots and sirens. People in low crime areas said they see home and car break-ins.

■ Residents believe that 70 percent of crime is caused by people with drug addictions and about 40 percent of criminals have underlying mental health issues.

■ When asked how to reduce crime, participants said hire more officers, stop the “revolving door” at the jail and address drug addiction.

■ Most residents say that the local criminal justice system is too lenient.

■ Many residents strongly believe that many people should be held in jail before trial, even for property crimes such as automobile theft.

■ Many residents were unaware — and even skeptical — that the jail population has declined, which it has for several years amid a series of reforms.

■ Most residents support the district attorney’s plan to focus its limited resources on defendants with long criminal or arrest histories. More than 75 percent of respondents support more diversion and rehabilitation programs.

■ Very few people are aware that Albuquerque police are operating under a court-enforceable settlement agreement with the Department of Justice.