Candidates must address NM, ABQ crime wave

An overwhelming majority of New Mexico voters — 96 percent — feel crime is a very or somewhat serious problem, according to a recent Journal Poll. Sadly, that’s not surprising. Both violent and property crime were off the charts in New Mexico in 2017 at a time when the country as a whole was experiencing a drop in crime.

It’s time for candidates in the November general election — particularly those running for governor, attorney general, state House seats, county commission and sheriff — to tell voters what they’re going to do about it.

New Mexico had the country’s highest per capita rate of property crime last year and the second-highest per capita rate of violent crime, according to the FBI’s latest Crime in the United States report. Ditto for bleak rankings in 2016.

And the statistics for Albuquerque are even more troubling. In 2017, violent crime — murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault — increased by 23 percent in 2017. The number of violent crimes jumped to 7,686, for a rate of 1,369 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, more than three times the national rate of 383 violent offenses per 100,000 residents.

Property crimes — burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft — in Albuquerque were up 7 percent. There were 41,350 property crimes reported, 7,366 per 100,000 residents, also more than three times the national average. And over the summer, the National Insurance Crime Bureau reported Bernalillo County and surrounding counties were No. 1 in rates of stolen motor vehicles for the second year in a row.

Second Judicial District Attorney Raúl Torrez countered the FBI statistics with news that beginning in August of last year, crime experienced its first sustained decline in the past eight years, an average of 17 percent over 12 months.

Torrez’s statistics are encouraging, but we can’t afford to just trust that our crime problem is simply going to go away. Because even with the improvements Torrez cites, crime remains unacceptably high, particularly in the metro area.

There aren’t enough officers in the Albuquerque Police Department and other law enforcement agencies around the state. Courts, prosecutors and public defenders don’t have the resources they need to deal with all the cases. And some of our state laws have gaping holes that allow criminals to either walk free or suffer only minimal consequences, encouraging a revolving door of justice.

So when candidates ask for your vote, ask them what they intend to do about the crime problem. Ask if they support:

Increasing funding for police, prosecutors, public defenders and the courts?

Allowing retired police officers to return to work? Enhancing penalties for crimes involving firearms? Broadening the Three Strikes law so it’s usable? Removing the statute of limitations on second-degree murder so, say, someone who kills her spouse and buries him under a new driveway doesn’t get a slap on the wrist because his body wasn’t discovered for a few years?

Allowing for a life sentence for intentional child abuse resulting in death, regardless of the child’s age?

Changing the law to begin addressing organized gangs who exploit the fact stealing $499 worth of merchandise is a misdemeanor?

And what are their ideas on addressing the root causes of crime, drug use, poverty, etc.?

Candidates on the Nov. 6 ballot need to provide specific, reasoned answers to New Mexico residents — because we all need real relief from this crime wave and deserve to feel safe. And that will take more than downward crime trends.