Albuquerque-based House Democrats push anti-crime package
House Democrats from Albuquerque, facing serious pressure from constituents to address the crime rate in one of America’s most violent cities, say they have a plan to get the job done. A cadre of 18 Democrats on Thursday signed onto a proposal they plan to turn into legislation early next year, hoping to battle a seemingly chronic wave of violence in New Mexico’s largest city. It’s likely the package won’t be heard until January’s legislative session, despite Republicans’ calls for a more immediate special session to deal with crime.
The governor in August said she plans to call for a $100 million investment to hire 1,000 new police officers in the next few years. She also has said she’d like pretrial detention policies changed to make it tougher for defendants charged with violent crimes to be released before trial. The governor sent nearly three-dozen state police officers to Albuquerque last month to help fight crime ...
Albuquerque is generally seen as the hub of violence in the state. Last year,
CBS News rated the city ninth among the top 50 most violent cities in the country. There have been 86 victims of homicide this year in Albuquerque.
Though the Albuquerque Police Department just reported a decrease in property crime and auto theft over the past year, two high-profile crimes in mid-August — the shooting of four city police officers during a robbery and the shooting death of a student at a downtown middle school — led to renewed cries to stop the violence.
https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/legislature/albuquerque-based-house-democrats-push-anti-crime-package/article_efbae2dc-0c14-11ec-ad13-b3e6c68daacc.html