State cops, Corrections join APD’s ALeRT team

It’s encouraging to see that the New Mexico State Police and the probation and parole officers at the state Department of Corrections have signed on as partners with ALeRT, the Albuquerque Police Department program designed to crack down on repeat offenders responsible for a disproportionate slice of our burgeoning crime rate.

ALeRT, a labored acronym for the Analysis-Led Recidivism Team, works out of APD’s Real Time Crime Center. Using data compiled by various law enforcement agencies, ALeRT crime analysts “flag” the criminal records of repeat offenders so the next time they’re arrested, prosecutors and judges know they’re dealing with a “frequent flier” deserving of microscopic scrutiny.

The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office and FBI were already on board.

The ALeRT team looks for people whose fingerprints show up at crime scenes, people who have failed to appear for court hearings or are wanted on probation or parole violations, and people with multiple arrests — especially when those charges escalate over time. The analysts distribute a weekly list of people who fit these and other criteria and send it to participating agencies, who can keep a look out or make special efforts to apprehend people on the list.

The ALeRT system is in keeping with APD and DA Raúl Torrez’s plans to focus on repeat criminals and those they consider the “worst of the worst,” and proponents say that will soon have an impact on metro Albuquerque’s economy-killing crime rate.

Since its inception in May, more than 20 criminals making ALeRT’s list have been arrested. With the State Police and probation/parole officers now in the mix, those apprehensions will likely climb. To turn a phrase, the more, the more effective. Welcome aboard, NMSP and Corrections.