By Dan Boyd
Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico’s crime problem might also be, in large part, a crime-solving problem.
A legislative report released Wednesday found that while the state’s violent crime rate has persisted well above the national average in recent years, the rate of clearing such crimes has steadily dropped over the last decade.
Specifically, the clearance rate for solving violent crimes has gone from about 1 in 4 cases a decade ago to about 1 in 7 cases currently, according to the Legislative Finance Committee report.
That could be due to a mix of low conviction rates, evidence collection issues and depleted law enforcement ranks — though the number of certified officers has increased over the last four years after lawmakers approved $150 million for recruitment and retention efforts.
“The swiftness and certainty of justice is a really core piece” in the state’s effort to address crime issues, Rep. Meredith Dixon, D-Albuquerque, told the Journal after Wednesday’s hearing at the Roundhouse.
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Crime is expected to be a top issue during the 60-day legislative session that starts in January, and top-ranking Democratic lawmakers have indicated they plan a package of proposals on the issue.
Tougher criminal penalties are also expected to be proposed, and Senate Minority Leader William Sharer, R-Farmington, attributed at least some of New Mexico’s violent crime to drug cartel activity in the Albuquerque metro area.
He said Texas law enforcement officials told him during a visit to the border city of Eagle Pass that much of the criminal activity involving cartels had shifted to New Mexico after a Lone Star State border crackdown.
“We have a cartel problem in Albuquerque,” Sharer said during Wednesday’s hearing. “It’s not Albuquerque people killing Albuquerque people.”
Meanwhile, several other legislators cited personal experiences with crime, with Rep. Jack Chatfield, R- Mosquero, saying his car was broken into near the Capitol building in Santa Fe.
He expressed unease with data showing New Mexico property crime rates have declined since the COVID-19 pandemic, saying, “That crime is down is hard for me to believe.”
However, Rep. Nathan Small, D-Las Cruces, the LFC’s vice chairman, cautioned fellow lawmakers against relying on personal experiences when it comes to making decisions on public safety policy issues.
“We darn sure can’t reject data because we don’t like it,” Small said.
Lawmakers seek return on spending increases
State lawmakers have increased spending on law enforcement, district attorneys and the state’s judicial branch by about 31% over the last four years in an attempt to reduce crime rates. But a previous legislative report concluded that only about 56% of the roughly $424 million appropriated over the past five years for public safety initiatives had been spent.
While Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration disputed that report, saying about 72% of such one-time funding had been spent or was in the process of being spent, lawmakers expressed frustration that the increased spending hasn’t had the hoped-for impact.
“We’re throwing money at stuff, but we don’t seem to be getting a whole lot of results,” said Senate Minority Whip Pat Woods, R-Broadview.
Lawmakers have also expressed concern about the state’s mental health and drug abuse system, which many legislators see as having a connection to state crime rates.
The state’s Behavioral Health Collaborative has been without a chief executive officer since March 2023 and has not met for more than a year, according to testimony at a legislative hearing this week.
“It’s getting worse, and it needs to get better,” said Sen. George Muñoz, D-Gallup, the LFC’s chairman. He said the Legislature has spent about $1 billion already on such programs and has “nothing to show” for it.
“We as a Legislature have determined this is the year that we’re going to really work on mental health issues and crime,” Muñoz added.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Muñoz said legislators can only do so much by passing new laws, adding it’s up to the executive branch, judges and law enforcement agencies to actually enforce them.
What comes next?
The legislative report recommended steps that include increased data sharing between law enforcement agencies, more support programs for recently released inmates and expanded mental health and drug abuse treatment programs.
Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman told lawmakers Wednesday his office has secured about 250 murder convictions since he took office in January 2023. He attributed the high number of convictions to an increase in funding that allowed his office to hire more prosecutors.
But Bregman said an abundance of cheap and easily accessible fentanyl is contributing significantly to high crime rates, saying, “We cannot prosecute ourselves out of the fentanyl issue.”
Meanwhile, Legislative Finance Committee analyst Scott Sanchez said there have been positive steps, including the opening of a new Department of Public Safety forensic crime lab in Santa Fe. But he suggested increased spending on services will only be efficient if state agencies have the manpower to carry them out.
“You can offer people those services, but if there’s no one to deliver it, you can’t mandate it,” Sanchez said.
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