5 steps to reduce ABQ crime

Prioritize public safety over construction projects like ART

I am joining the chorus of local business leaders expressing frustration regarding crime and the negative effect on business (“Tech firm fed up with ABQ crime,” ABQ Journal, 24 Jun 17, “Downtown businesses say crime is out of control,” ABQ Journal, 30 Jun 17). I work for a science and engineering company that provides highly specialized services and skills in Albuquerque and across the country. As the local manager, the biggest challenge is hiring qualified people, and this often involves recruiting from out of state. Routinely, the No. 1 reason people decline a job in Albuquerque is the rampant crime rate. Although we offer extremely competitive salaries and benefits, they do not compete with the murders, rapes, car thefts, panhandlers and the gruesome headlines that dominate the Albuquerque news.

Unfortunately, Mayor (Richard) Berry has ignored the crime by choosing to focus on his legacy of construction projects. Instead of increasing the police presence, he has chosen to spend money on such projects as ART, which is opposed by a 2-1 margin as reported by a Carroll Strategies poll and construction of the new “One Central.” Berry’s appearance of crony construction capitalism at the expense of crime prevention does not evoke confidence that the city of Albuquerque will see improvement in the near future.

However, if the mayor and the city council wish to take firm and definitive action to reduce crime in this city, here are several suggestions:

First, increase the police ■ presence on the street instead of paying a consultant, Peter Winograd, to tell us that automobile thefts go up with the release of repeat criminals. Crime is not reduced by spending tax money on narrowing Central Avenue to one lane. Hiring and retaining a well-trained and well-compensated professional police force decreases crime.

Second, the city should

■ institute a “family reunification” program similar to that in Denver. Purchase one-way bus tickets to allow the vagrant population to reunite with family or return to a stable living situation.

Third, pass a comprehensive,

■ constitutional and enforceable anti-panhandling ordinance as sponsored by Councilor Trudy Jones. In the meantime, begin citing panhandlers that threaten public safety by blocking medians and darting into traffic for handouts.

Fourth, divert money

■ from the mayor’s construction blitz to public education, specifically focused on preventing car theft and helping the homeless through established institutions, not handouts.

Finally, for the more

■ serious crimes and a longterm solution, the ideas presented by District Attorney Rául Torrez regarding the Case Management Order deserve consideration.

If the city leadership wishes to create a sustainable innovation corridor and in turn move Albuquerque toward a STEM-based economy, it must get serious about crime prevention. It requires a long-term commitment to repair the reputation our city has earned as “The City at the Top of Every Bad List.”