Prosecutor tells lawmakers: ‘You have to act now’ on reform

ALBUQUERQUE — The top prosecutor in New Mexico’s busiest judicial district said Wednesday that crime rates are growing dire and the state’s troubled criminal justice system needs to be reformed.

In a meeting with a special panel of state lawmakers, District Attorney Raul Torrez outlined crime rates nationally, across New Mexico and in the Albuquerque area.

When it came to auto thefts, property crimes, violent crimes and murder, he said Albuquerque outpaced New Mexico and other areas of the nation between 2013 and 2016.

He also told the bipartisan Criminal Justice Reform Subcommittee that the uptick in crime, staff shortages and court rules are affecting how his office must manage its caseload.

If solutions can be found for his district, they can be used elsewhere in the state, Torrez said.

“You have to act now,” Torrez said. “You have to be bold, leave the politics out of it, focus on what works and we will get to the right place.”

The work of the subcommittee comes as discontent simmers over the best way to reduce crime.

Crime has become the top issue for candidates vying to be the next mayor of Albuquerque, and it’s at the center of an ongoing feud over an effort by court officials to overhaul New Mexico’s bail bond system.

Some top law enforcement officers and district attorneys have complained that new rules on releasing defendants aren’t working as intended.

Torrez and other district attorneys will meet Thursday in Albuquerque to talk about the unintended consequences of bail reform and changes that can be made in the way pretrial detention hearings are conducted.

The state Supreme Court will have the final say on the rules.