Records Show Most Santa Fe DWI Checkpoints Staged In Poor Areas – Santa Fe New Mexican, Associated Press
Documents show most of the drunken driving checkpoints conducted by Santa Fe police since 2016 have been staged in the poorer parts of the city.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports documents obtained under a public records request found that 22 of the 27 DWI checkpoints conducted by the Santa Fe Police Department were dispatched in the in the south and southwest areas.
That's an area of the city where poorer residents and Mexican immigrants live as opposed to the more affluent areas of the city.
Documents show another eight checkpoints were planned in those poorer areas but canceled because the department didn't have enough officers to meet minimum staffing requirements.
Police Capt. Marvin Paulk says the department isn't discriminating but that the data tells police the poorer areas are where the checkpoints should be staged.
Lawsuit Alleges New Mexico Apartments Plagued By Rats, Bed Bugs – Las Cruces Sun-News, Associated Press
A southern New Mexico apartment complex has been hit with a class-action lawsuit by former tenants who say the place was plagued with bed bugs and rats.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports a lawsuit recently filed in state district court by three former tenants said Desert Palms Apartments in Las Cruces, New Mexico, did nothing to stem the tide of bed bugs, rodents and roaches.
Former tenant Erica Olivas says rats were living in her stove. Olivas says she and her 13-year-old son injested rat feces from food cooked in the stove.
Jeff Curry, who manages the property with JL Gray Company, says he feels terrible for former tenants and the complex is working with tenants who are experiencing issues.
$8,000 In Pottery Stolen From SUV In Albuquerque – KOB-TV, Associated Press
A New Mexico couple says their prize-winning pottery collection worth an estimated $8,000 is missing after their SUV was carjacked in Albuquerque.
Ben Toya of Jemez Pueblo told KOB-TV he was in southeast Albuquerque last weekend looking for a client to deliver some of the works when the thieves jumped in his vehicle and drove away.
He says he was looking for directions when the thieves opened the door, punched him and dragged him down the street alongside his SUV.
The couple found the vehicle the next day but it was trashed inside and 40 pieces of pottery were missing.
They say the pieces can be identified by their ringed flower logo intertwined with signatures "B.G." Toya" along with "Jemez, New Mexico."
Tribal Members Settle Abuse Cases Against Mormon Church - By Felicia Fonseca, Associated Press
A lawyer says four Native Americans who claimed they were sexually abused while enrolled in a now-defunct Mormon church foster program decades ago have filed paperwork to dismiss their cases after reaching financial settlements.
Craig Vernon, an attorney who represented the tribal members, says the terms are confidential and include no admission of wrongdoing.
Allegations have been made against the church by more than a dozen tribal members from the Navajo Nation and Crow Tribe of Montana.
Four cases recently were settled, three were settled last year and others reached agreements out of court.
One case remains in Washington state.
A spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Eric Hawkins, declined comment. He says the settlement agreement prohibits any discussion about the terms.
New Mexico Ranchers Worry About Possible Land Restrictions - Carlsbad Current-Argus, Associated Press
Some New Mexico ranchers are worried they could lose their way of life as the U.S. Bureau of Land Management revises its resource management plan.
The Carlsbad Current-Argus reports land could be subject to wilderness characterizations, which ranchers worry could restrict their land from commercial uses such as farming or ranching.
The Bureau of Land Management hosted a public meeting last week in hope of soliciting feedback from the public on the resource management plan's revision.
The resource management plan when finalized directs the bureau's Pecos District's management of federal lands in the region, which contains Eddy, Lea and Chaves counties.
In total, the resource management plan would affect nearly 3,300 square miles of federally-managed surface, considering the needs of numerous industries, while balancing the need to conserve resources and wildlife.
Company Launches New Recruiting Tools For Law Enforcement - Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press
A New Mexico advertising agency is marketing new social media-based recruiting tools in hopes of helping law enforcement agencies nationwide expand their ranks.
The Albuquerque Journal reports Boomtime went live with two new interactive websites and apps last month to boost New Mexico State Police and Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center efforts to connect with a younger generation of potential recruits. Now, the company is using those platforms as a model for other agencies across the country.
Boomtime marketing strategist Justin Butler says the company is "bringing police into the modern era of communications."
State Police Capt. Jesse Williams says Boomtime's tools are opening a new channel of communication to help resolve a chronic labor shortage that keeps the force well below the 704 officers authorized by the Legislature.
Las Cruces Police Officer Fires Weapon; No One Hurt - Las Cruces Sun-News, Associated Press
Las Cruces police say an officer fired his weapon at the scene of an early morning domestic disturbance but the bullet didn't strike anyone.
No one was hurt. The suspect was taken into custody and criminal charges are pending.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports the teenage daughter of a couple involved in the domestic disturbance called police at about 3:30 a.m. Sunday. She said a man armed with a pistol was threatening others in the 1300 block of Lees Drive.
Police say the suspect was ignoring their commands so one officer fired at least one round that didn't hit anyone.
The officer who discharged his weapon has been placed on administrative leave while the multi-agency officer-involved Incident Task Force investigates.
It marks at least the fifth officer-involved shooting in Las Cruces this year. Three previous incidents were fatal.