Ex-New Jersey Police Officials Part Of Albuquerque Monitor – The Associated Press
Former New Jersey and Pittsburgh police officials are part of a court-appointed independent monitor team overseeing Albuquerque police reform.
Independent monitor James Ginger introduced the team today, which also includes a community activist from Washington, D.C.
In January, federal officials and the city selected Ginger to lead a team to monitor a settlement agreement to overhaul APD.
Ginger and his team will be responsible for independently assessing progress on the agreement and will report on changes to a federal judge.
The police department has faced scrutiny for more than 40 police shootings since 2010.
Ex-Belen Policeman Sentenced For Excessive Force In Arrest – The Associated Press
A former Belen police detective has been sentenced to five years of probation and must forfeit his law enforcement certification for using excessive force during a 2012 arrest.
Prosecutors say 42-year-old John Lytle is precluded from working or seeking future employment as a law enforcement officer in any capacity as part of his plea agreement Tuesday.
Lytle was accused of violating a man's civil rights by assaulting him on March 15, 2012.
Lytle admitted that he repeatedly struck the victim, who was handcuffed and compliant during the entire course of the investigative stop.
One point during the stop, Lytle pulled the handcuffed victim from the back of a police squad car, threw him to the ground and struck him again.
The man suffered injuries to his face and torso.
New Mexico's Public Safety Agencies To Merge – The Associated Press
State police, motor transportation officers and special investigators will be part of a new streamlined New Mexico State Police Division starting in July.
It will mark the department's first statutory reorganization in its 28-year history.
The merger is the result of legislation passed during the regular session earlier this year and signed into law by Gov. Susana Martinez.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that under the merger, an estimated 150 commissioned officers assigned to the Motor Transportation Police Department and Special Investigations Division will be transferred out of the classified personnel system.
They'll be moved into the New Mexico State Police exempt personnel system, effectively becoming state police officers in the process.
State Police Chief Pete Kassetas says he believes the new management process will create greater equally among officers.
New Mexico Looks To Impose Requirements For Food Stamps – The Associated Press
Gov. Susana Martinez's administration has proposed new rules that would expand work, training and job-search requirements for low-income New Mexicans to qualify for food stamps.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports rules proposed by the Human Services Department would require parents of children older than 6 to participate in up to 80 hours a month of specified activities. That could include community service work.
Rules that tie food assistance to activities such as job searches and training are currently imposed on most single, able-bodied adults age 18 to 50. That would be expanded to include 16- through 60-year-olds.
More than one-fifth of New Mexico residents participate in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. It's unclear how many of them would be affected by the changes.
Watershed Projects To Get A Boost In New Mexico – The Associated Press
Watershed restoration work will be getting a $3.5 million boost thanks to the capital spending legislation recently signed by Gov. Susana Martinez.
Martinez visited Rio Rancho on Monday to announce the additional funding.
She mentioned the one-two punch of wildfires and post-fire flooding, saying the work being done in vulnerable watersheds around the state will help make the areas more resilient and protect community water supplies.
The spending in this year's capital outlay bill adds to the $6.2 million secured as part of last year's legislation.
The money is going toward work on more than 12 square miles of high-priority watersheds on public lands. The areas have been identified in the state forest action plan.
The governor's office says six projects are under way and seven more are being planned.
Bid To Limit Police Oversight Board's Powers Losing Steam - The Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal
Two Albuquerque city councilors have pulled their support of a proposal to limit the powers of a civilian oversight board that was created in response to a federal investigation showing Albuquerque police had a pattern of using excessive force and violating people's rights.
Councilors Brad Winter and Rey Garduno had proposed limiting the board's powers in the wake of a lawsuit by a police union that alleged the board's level of access to certain documents violated its contract. Winter and Garduno made the proposal in an effort to resolve the lawsuit.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that the proposal has lost steam after Winter and Garduno withdrew as its sponsors Friday.
Garduno says the proposed changes to the oversight board weren't enough to satisfy the union.
New Mexico Officers To Face Second Degree Murder Charges - The Associated Press
Two New Mexico police officers will face second-degree murder charges in last year's shooting death of a homeless man near a tent in the mountains where he had been camping.
Special Prosecutor Randi McGinn's office said Monday it will pursue charges against Keith Sandy and Dominique Perez that could land each officer 15 years in prison.
Both officers have denied wrongdoing in the case.
James Boyd's death sparked angry demonstrations around Albuquerque, with protesters calling for reforms following several police shootings.
Authorities later said Boyd was schizophrenic and hadn't received proper treatment. He was shot during a March 2014 standoff in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains.
Video of the shooting showed Boyd appearing to surrender before Perez and Sandy opened fire.
Watershed Projects To Get A Boost In New Mexico - The Associated Press
Watershed restoration work will be getting a $3.5 million boost thanks to the capital spending legislation recently signed by Gov. Susana Martinez.
Martinez visited Rio Rancho on Monday to announce the additional funding.
She mentioned the one-two punch of wildfires and post-fire flooding, saying the work being done in vulnerable watersheds around the state will help to make the areas more resilient and protect community water supplies.
The spending in this year's capital outlay bill adds to the $6.2 million secured as part of last year's legislation.
The money is going toward work on more than 12 square miles of high-priority watersheds on public lands. The areas have been identified in the state forest action plan.
The governor's office says six projects are under way and seven more are being planned.
Feds Warns Of Rising Water Levels On Pecos River - The Associated Press
Federal officials are warning that water levels on the Pecos River will be rising in the coming days.
The Bureau of Reclamation says it's moving water downstream for farmers who are part of the Carlsbad Irrigation District.
The release from Santa Rosa Reservoir began Monday morning. Water will be released from Sumner Reservoir on Tuesday, once the water from Santa Rosa arrives.
Federal water managers plan to increase the release from 100 cubic feet per second to about 1,500 cfs. The release is expected to last seven days.
They estimate about 21,000 acre-feet of water will be moved from Santa Rosa and Sumner to Brantley Reservoir north of Carlsbad. An acre-foot is enough to supply one to two households for a year.
Martinez's Most Recent Mexico Trips Cost More Than $17,000 - The Associated Press
Republican Gov. Susana Martinez since taking office has been on numerous trips across the border to meet with officials in neighboring Mexican states.
Three trips taken in just the past year cost taxpayers more than $17,000, but her office says the visits to Sonora and Chihuahua are part of a larger effort to turn the region into an international economic hub.
New Mexico's exports to Mexico nearly doubled in 2014 to $1.55 billion, marking another record-setting year. The state also is leading the U.S. in terms of export growth to Mexico.
In Santa Teresa, officials say they've nearly run out of space at their industrial parks.
The competition might be heating up. Gov. Doug Ducey in neighboring Arizona just wrapped up a trip to Mexico City where he met with executives from major Mexican companies.
National Security Laboratory Selects First Woman As Director - The Associated Press
The largest U.S. national security research and development laboratory is poised to have a woman run its operations for the first time.
Jill Hruby will become the president and director of Sandia National Laboratories next month.
With main facilities in Albuquerque and Livermore, California, Sandia's responsibilities cover nuclear weapons, energy and environmental technologies, and economic competitiveness.
Hruby most recently served as a vice president overseeing Sandia's efforts in nuclear, biological and chemical security.
She will begin July 17, replacing Paul Hommert, who announced his retirement recently.
The laboratory is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corp. and a contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.
Albuquerque Man's Body Found Along I-25; Apparent Suicide - The Associated Press
Sandoval County authorities say a body has been found along Interstate 25 north of Algodones and it appears the man fatally shot himself.
County Sheriff's officials have identified the man as 27-year-old Antony Profitt of Albuquerque.
They say Profitt was found unresponsive next to his vehicle about 8:45 a.m. Monday and he died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Authorities say Profitt fashioned a device resembling a pipe bomb that was capable of firing a 12-gauge shotgun shell.
Investigators were concerned that another device may be near the body and that caused I-25 to be restricted to one lane for several hours.
The Albuquerque Police Department's bomb unit assisted Sandoval County Sheriff's Office investigators in clearing the scene.
Investigators are continuing their investigation to gather more information about Profitt's death.
Man Wanted In New Mexico Homicide Case Is Arrested In Texas - The Associated Press
A man wanted in New Mexico in connection with a homicide and kidnapping case has been arrested in Texas.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the El Paso port of entry say 31-year-old Matthew Sifuentes of Albuquerque was taken into custody Friday.
They say Sifuentes entered the country from Mexico as a pedestrian and presented a college identification card to the CBP officer working at the primary inspection station.
Officers received notice that Sifuentes was wanted on an active murder warrant out of New Mexico's Chaves County along with charges of kidnapping and tampering with evidence.
Sifuentes was arrested without incident and then turned over to El Paso police and booked into jail.
Details of the homicide and kidnapping case weren't immediately available Monday.
F-16 Aircraft Transferred To Air Force Base Near Alamogordo - The Associated Press and Alamogordo Daily News
Holloman Air Force Base near Alamogordo is readying for a new fighter pilot training program with the delivery last week of more than a dozen F-16 Fighting Falcons.
The Alamogordo Daily News reports 314th Fighter Squadron Director of Operations Lt. Col. Heath Wimberly says the decision was made a few years ago to put F-35s at Luke Air Force Base and bring F-16 training to Holloman.
Wimberly said that half of the F-16 training program will be at the base near Alamogordo by July.