How to End the Culture of Crime
NM is the most dangerous state, and ABQ is the 12th most dangerous city
Santa Fe Democrats want the hardworking people of New Mexico to believe that solving the crime epidemic is complex. But it is simple: put the criminals behind bars, not families behind burglar bars.
On June 29, 2024, To the Point with Mick Rich on KKOB (12:00-1:00 pm on 96.5 News Radio), our listeners called in with great ideas on separating the criminals from the hardworking people of Albuquerque.
Hold Criminals accountable
The Santa Fe Democrats' Experiment of Bail Bond Reform has failed. Without bail, the criminals are released back onto the street, where they intimidate the witnesses and victims from testifying. One widow explained to me that after they murdered her husband. The suspects were released and taunting her and her children. Reverse the bail bond reform act.
It is time we enact a “3 Strikes & Out” Law and publicize the change throughout the Southwest. We will no longer be a haven for twice-convicted felons. A homeless man told me he had two felonies and California and a ‘3 Strike” law. So he moved to New Mexico.
The COA seizes vehicles being driven during the commission of a DWI or a license revoked. We should expand that to include the commission of a felony, such as drive-by shooting or drug dealing.
Allow our first responders to recover damages caused by criminals. Physical and emotional injuries caused by criminals are not ‘part of the job’ of a first responder.
Homelessness is not a victimless crime.
Our parks, sidewalks, and other public lands belong to the people, not the homeless. The parking meter patrols our vehicle parking. They should also patrol our public spaces.
The COA will issue fines to pet owners if they do not pick up after their pets. But the COA ignores the homeless urinating and defecating on our city streets, which makes our river water unsafe.
The COA will issue fines to individuals littering in our community. However, the COA ignores the homeless when they litter and toss their used needles in our public spaces, which creates a biological hazard.
The COA ignores the homeless protection racket. Businesses that do not “donate” goods and services to the homeless suffer injury to their staff and even risk their businesses being torched, such as at one Albuquerque dollar store.
Homelessness is a result of alcohol/drug addiction, mental illness, and unfortunate situations. The alcoholic/drug addict is given a choice of actively participating in their recovery treatment or jail. The mentally ill who are a threat to themselves or others are removed from society until they are determined to no longer be a threat. Lastly, the community should provide the services necessary so the individuals can get back on their feet.
Criminals Need to Fear Being Caught Again
The Albuquerque Police Department is ineffective, and the criminals and the public know it. Crime now pays, whether you are a criminal, in the private security industry, or selling firearms.
We need enough police to respond to calls for assistance, investigate crimes, catch the criminals, and build the case for prosecution.
To entice individuals to become police officers, we must stop asking the police to ignore some laws and enforce others, reverse the stripping of police officers' immunity, and recruit from out of state.
Allow police officers to recover pain and suffering from those convicted criminals who are responsible for their injuries.
Measure Crime Fighting Performance
We cannot make our neighborhoods safer without a standard for measuring crime and a system for measuring our crime fighter efforts.
New Mexico and COA must again utilize the FBI standard for reporting crime.
We need to measure the performance of APD and police officers individually. How many arrests were made, complete files were forwarded to the District Attorney’s office, and how many convictions were convicted?
We need to measure the District Attorney's office's performance. Track the number of charges submitted from APD and the number of charges filed. Of those, how many convictions were there? The number of felony gun charges filed, prosecuted, and convicted.
We need to measure Judges' performance. We need to know which judges have a history of releasing violent criminals back into our neighborhoods.
You can make the most significant difference.
The governor has called for a special session to address the crime epidemic. Still, she and the other Santa Fe Democrats are offering platitudes and feel-good measures that will not address the crime epidemic.
If you like the ideas in this article, share them with the Governor, the State Senators, and the Representatives. Let them know you want real crime-fighting measures like those in this article.
Michelle Lujan Grisham and her cabinet do not publish their email addresses, so they do not have to hear from you. It is one thing for MLG to be arrogant while being the best of the states. But MLG is elitist and kept New Mexico the worst of all the states. Mail this article to her at 490 Old Santa Fe Trail, Room 400, Santa Fe, NM 87501.
New Mexico State Senators and their email addresses
New Mexico State Representatives and their email addresses
New Mexico’s Lost Decades
Japan experienced the Lost Decade between 1990 and 2000. New Mexico has experienced the lost decades from the Richardson administration through the Lujan Grisham administration. While the states surrounding New Mexico have flourished, New Mexico has wilted. This is the first of several articles addressing the causes of New Mexico’s Lost Decades and how to turn our state and city around.