There are headlines around the country about officers abusing their power, coercing, assaulting or trafficking sex workers. Not being able to trust police enough to report violent experiences is part of what makes people especially vulnerable to serial killers and rapists. Now, 10 years after a mass grave was discovered on the West Mesa, the Albuquerque Police Department is trying to rebuild trust and stop that from happening again. 

Three detectives are still working a combined 40 hours each week to solve the murders of nine woman and two teen girls whose remains were discovered on Albuquerque’s West Mesa in 2009.

KUNM spoke with Lt. Scott Norris, who took over the violent crimes section of the Albuquerque Police Department about a month ago and is now overseeing the investigation.

It’s no secret that sex workers often don’t trust law enforcement and don’t ask police for help after incidents of violence. Officers around the U.S. are themselves arrested for trafficking, raping and abusing people on the street. Here in New Mexico, those stories pop up, too. And people who do that kind of work here say there’s a feeling that it’s either not safe, or that police won’t respond well if they report they’ve been attacked or assaulted. That can mean serial offenders go unchecked.

Let’s Talk New Mexico 2/21 8a: Rural libraries reach around 500,000 New Mexicans in rural towns and pueblos and provide a range of services including tutoring, healthcare, business incubation, and voter registration. Lawmakers are considering a bill this session that would create a $50 million endowment fund to support the state’s 50 rural libraries. What could this financial support mean not only for rural communities but for the state as a whole? Are you a supporter of your local rural library? What would library support mean to your community? Email LetsTalk@kunm.org, tweet using the #LetsTalkNM hashtag, or call in during the live show. 

Tribal colleges are the only public higher education institutions in New Mexico where students cannot use the state lottery scholarship. A measure approved by the Senate Education Committee on Friday morning would change that.