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In most-recent one year and nine-month period, our broader community has seen juveniles with multiple offenses, often violent in nature.
A Las Cruces Digest Report
Source: City of Las Cruces
This is the third installment reporting on the Town Hall Meeting held at City Hall on January 23, 2025.
Previous Installments:
The YouTube recording of the Town Hall is available to watch, below.
Juvenile Justice
After addressing the shortcomings of the legal system in dealing with those deemed “incompetent”, Chief Story showed how similar shortcomings are playing out when it comes to juvenile justice.
In most-recent one year and nine-month period, our broader community has seen juveniles with multiple offenses, often violent in nature. One juvenile represents 20 offenses. These repeat offenders are stuck in a system without a “mechanism” to deal with them.
The types of crimes committed in the same time period (January 2023 through September 2024) are demonstrated in the following chart:
Other indications of failures in the system were listed:
Machine Guns
Some juveniles in our broader community have committed violent crimes with weapons classified as “machine guns”. While this problem is not limited to juveniles, this revelation remains alarming. Modifying mechanisms which convert semi-automatic handguns into automatic-firing weapons are “easily purchased”. In one example, the modified handgun fired at a rate of “18 rounds a second”. They are being used in our broader community.
According to Chief Story, these modification devices are so prevalent, there is no way for Federal Law Enforcement to police them. Since there is no equivalent prohibition in New Mexico law, it is difficult for local law enforcement to police. In the example given, the only reason a case was able to be brought against the individual allegedly found in possession was because the gun also happened to be stolen.
Tomorrow: Part V: Officer Jonah Hernandez and Community Response
Senators
- Joseph Cervantes (District 31)
joseph.cervantes@nmlegis.gov - James Townsend (District 34)
townsend@pvtn.com - Crystal Diamond Brantley (District 35)
crystal@diamondfornm.com - Jeff Steinborn (District 36)
jeff.steinborn@nmlegis.gov - William “Bill” Soules (District 37)
bill.soules@hotmail.com - Carrie Hamblen (District 38)
carrie.hamblen@nmlegis.gov
Representatives
- Micaela Lara Cadena (District 33)
micaela.cadena@nmlegis.gov - Raymundo “Ray” Lara (District 34)
rayfordistrict34@gmail.com - Angelica Rubio (District 35)
angelica@rubionm35.com - Nathan Small (District 36)
nathan.small@nmlegis.gov - Joanne Ferrary (District 37)
ferraryrep37@gmail.com - Rebecca Dow (District 38)
rebecca@dowforhouse.com - Doreen Gallegos (District 52)
doreen@doreengallegos.com - Sarah Silva (District 53)
sarah.silva@nmlegis.gov
