Let’s Talk New Mexico 9/16 8am: Property crime has dropped in New Mexico during the pandemic but violence has taken hold, dominating the news headlines recently: Albuquerque setting a new record for homicides, Santa Fe road rage killings, attacks on police officers, and perhaps most tragic – a child killed at school over bullying. While violent crime has not increased as much across the nation it feels like a lot in New Mexico, and how we choose to react to violence is a local decision.
Last month, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham sent extra state police to Albuquerque, partly to fight violent crime. New Mexico’s cities are embracing new forms of policing like Santa Fe’s Alternative Response Unit and Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion and Albuquerque’s Violence Intervention Program. But lawmakers are at odds over what to do, often based on political ideology.
On this week’s Let’s Talk New Mexico, we’ll be talking about different solutions for addressing violent crime in New Mexico, ranging from increasing punishments for violent crime or adding more police to city forces, to reform and social programs that aim to prevent criminal behaviors. And we want to hear your ideas.
Do you live in a higher crime area and can share your experiences with law enforcement? Do you have ideas for curbing violence that are more holistic? Are you involved in programs that address some of the social causes of crime like a lack of jobs or education? Or, tell us about your other ideas for addressing violence in our communities. Email LetsTalk@kunm.org, tweet #letstalkNM or call in live during the show.
GUESTS:
- Ben Baur, New Mexico's Chief Public Defender
- Gerri Bachicha and Angel Garcia, Albuquerque's Violence Intervention Program
- Jennifer Padgett Macias, Chief Deputy District Attorney, New Mexico's First Judicial District Attorney
- Noah Painter-Davis, Associate Professor UNM Sociology
RELATED:
- Courts: Pretrial Release Doesn't Fuel Violent Crime, Albuquerque Journal
- Albuquerque's five Metro Crime Initiative panel discussions, archived in the "past live streams" section
- City Program Sends Personal Message About Gun Violence, Albuquerque Journal
- Albuqerque's Violence Intervention Program: "We Can't Arrest Our Way Out Of Crime", KOB-TV
- U.S. Crime: Is America Seeing A Surge In Violence, BBC
HOW TO SHARE YOUR IDEAS:
The City of Albuquerque Violence Intervention Program, VIP, invites community members to share their feedback as VIP creates its strategic plan for the next two years. Please review the existing one-page strategic plan DRAFT and program model.
Please share your input on VIP's strategic plan by taking this survey by 5pm, Thursday, Sept. 30:
