APD: Crime is down in every major category, arrests up 26% - Nakayla McClelland, Albuquerque Journal
The Albuquerque Police Department on Monday released statistics showing that there has been a “major reduction” in crime in all categories, and the police chief suggested the National Guard members working in Albuquerque could be redeployed for other missions around the state “in the near future.”
“The data confirms that Albuquerque’s crime reduction is outpacing national trends, a testament to focused enforcement, strategic policing and strong community collaboration,” Gilbert Gallegos, spokesperson for APD, said in a news release.
Crime statistics
- Aggravated assault: Down 13%.
- Robbery: Down 22%.
- Rape: Down 15%.
- Shootings with injury: Down 39%.
- Homicide: Down 32%, 2024 homicides: 72: 2025 homicides: 54.
- Burglary and breaking and entering: Down 13%.
- Vandalism: Down 25%.
- Larceny and theft: Down 8%.
- Motor vehicle theft: Down 40%.
The statistics compared the number of crimes in each category from January-September 2024 to statistics from 2025, except homicides and shootings with injury, which are tracked individually and are the year-to-date statistics.
Of the statistics, motor vehicle theft saw the biggest decrease of 40% or 1,811 fewer thefts. Larceny and theft saw the smallest decrease with 12,114 offenses compared to 13,261 in 2024, an 8% decrease. Homicides are also down. There have been 18 fewer homicides so far this year compared to the same day last year, according to APD.
Incumbent Mayor Tim Keller, who is running for a third term, immediately addressed the timing of the news conference coinciding with his campaign, which he told the Journal on election night would focus on crime and crime-fighting technology. Keller and candidate Darren White, a former Bernalillo County sheriff, will face each other in a runoff election on Dec. 9.
Keller acknowledged that while the numbers show a decrease in crime, residents’ perception of crime may not reflect those numbers.
“I understand that the perception may not be that crime is going down, in fact, I would agree with that perception,” he said. “But I will tell you if we continue doing this for several more years, we will absolutely feel safer because we are safer.”
An October Journal Poll showed that 53% of Albuquerque voters cited crime as the biggest issue in the city, followed by homelessness. Police Chief Harold Medina said that many people’s perceptions of crime may be conflated with homelessness and that APD is judged by a few blocks between Wyoming and Louisiana.
“The vast majority of issues we’re finding ourselves in is we have a concentration of the unhoused mainly in these areas,” Medina said. “It’s the fear of the unhoused that is making individuals feel unsafe in this city and we will continue to address those issues.”
Keller outlined the successes of APD, highlighting the city’s increased investment in crime-fighting technology like license plate readers and speed cameras, civilians — like Albuquerque Community Safety — aiding in assisting APD and freeing up officers and an increase in police force numbers.
“Our arrest numbers are higher than they have ever been because of civilians and technology, but also because our officers are working hard and they are making the real difference that is driving crime down,” Keller said. “What we’ve done is essentially free them up and support them so they can do that better than before.”
Along with ACS, Medina credited the National Guard for assisting APD and allowing more officers to hit the streets.
“They did a great job in assisting us to clear up officers, I think somewhere near 8,000 hours,” Medina said. “I suppose in the near future, they will have to go and they have other missions around the state with other cities that are suffering the same issues we see in Albuquerque.”
NM AG Torrez issues warning over herbal supplement kratom - Source New Mexico
The New Mexico Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Bureau on Friday issued a warning to residents about the herbal supplement kratom due to its “reportedly addictive, opioid-like effects,” a news release stated. The agency also asked residents to share information about their experiences with the substance.
Kratom products have received increased scrutiny from both the federal government and states, Stateline reported last summer, and are used for pain relief, anxiety and opioid withdrawal symptoms. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced in July it was seeking to restrict 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH — a compound found in small amounts in kratom.
In addition, at least seven states have either banned or restricted kratom sales in some way.
In New Mexico, the NMDOJ news release noted, kratom is unregulated and kratom products “can be easily purchased at convenience stores, smoke shops, or online.”
Moreover, the news release continued, kratom “is marketed as a product that boosts productivity, enhances focus, lifts moods and alleviates pain, while critics say it can be “highly addictive in the way it binds with the same brain receptors as opioids while stimulating chemicals like serotonin.”
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, risks from kratom use include: addiction, anorexia, insomnia, withdrawal symptoms, psychosis, overdose and death.
Stateline’s report noted that officials and addiction medicine specialists have noted that kratom and 7-OH products “often come in flavors and packaging designed to appeal to younger buyers, with few controls over where or how they’re sold. In some states without clear regulations, kratom and 7-OH products are available at gas stations or online, sometimes without any age verification.”
In a statement, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez called the “the information about kratom’s impact, particularly on young people” extremely concerning. “Consumers should understand that these products can have highly addictive effects similar to opioid narcotics. We also want to hear directly from New Mexicans about their experiences with kratom, including those who have already been harmed or sought rehabilitation. Our goal is to ensure families have the facts they need to protect their loved ones.”
Santa Fe City Council to decide on minimum-wage hike that has faced mixed reactions - Santa Fe New Mexican, KUNM News
The Santa Fe City Council is scheduled to vote on a proposed increase to the city’s minimum wage this Wednesday.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the proposed change has received widespread community support, as well as the backing of the local Democratic Party, along with advocacy groups including Somos Un Pueblo Unido and the Chainbreaker Collective.
However, the New Mexican also reports the proposal has received mixed reactions from the business community and some city councilors.
Introduced in September and sponsored by outgoing Mayor Alan Webber, the proposal would more closely tie future increases in the city-mandated minimum wage to the cost of housing.
Webber has suggested raising the minimum wage from its current level, $15 per hour, to $17.50 per hour.
Implementation would be delayed until Jan. 1, 2027, to give business owners time to prepare for the change, though an amendment sponsored by City Councilor and Mayor-elect Michael Garcia would implement the wage increase for city employees beginning Jan. 1, 2026.
An annual increase under the current Living Wage Ordinance is set to take effect in March, though it likely will be only around 40 cents.
New Mexico Legislature passes $165.5M stopgap measure for food aid - Santa Fe New Mexican, KUNM News
The New Mexico Legislature approved a bill during a fast-paced special session Monday that authorizes up to $165.5 million in state funds to provide food benefits to low-income families in case the federal government shutdown continues.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the bill, the only piece of legislation lawmakers considered, received bipartisan support in both chambers. It passed 30-6 in the Senate and 52-9 in the House.
The state funds, which would only be used if necessary, would provide food aid starting in December and last through the first week of the regular 30-day session, which begins Jan. 20.
Before the start of the special session, which ran less than four hours, state House Speaker Javier Martínez said Democrats are hopeful a federal deal will be reached soon but called the bill a “backup” should the federal government shutdown continue.
A deal to end the shutdown appeared to be on the horizon Monday, after several U.S. Senate Democrats broke rank to advance legislation to reopen the government without extending Affordable Care Act subsidies.
Democratic U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, both voted no on the deal. The federal government has been shut down since Oct. 1. The end of the shutdown is expected to return the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to its full federal funding. SNAP funding has seen severe disruption since Nov. 1, after the Trump administration refused to tap contingency funds.