The Las Cruces Police Department, facing constraints from all angles, asks for public input as it plots a path forward in addressing high levels of property and violent crime.
Standing Room Only at Town Hall Meeting Addressing Property and Violent Crime in Las Cruces [Video Content Included]
The Las Cruces Police Department, facing constraints from all angles, asks for public input as it plots a path forward in addressing high levels of property and violent crime. (Photo: Las Cruces Digest)
Las Cruces Digest Report
The standing-room-only meeting began with an introduction to the problems facing the Las Cruces Police Department (LCPD) while confronting the high levels of property and violent crime in the city. Statistics provided in a PowerPoint-type presentation showed the rapid rise in these types of crime between 2019 and 2022. While there has been a downward move in then number of crimes committed in 2023 and again in 2024, the overall numbers are still well above pre-pandemic levels. [Las Cruces Digest will be publishing the specific data presented once it receives the full presentation documentation.]
Many areas of concern were raised by LCPD representatives at the meeting, but three were highlighted as being urgent: high call volumes, low staffing levels and a lack of judicial protocols appropriate to the scale of the problem.
As for call volumes, it was noted that officers respond to calls from the moment their shift begins until the next shift begins, often with a backlog of calls waiting at shift change. In dealing with so many calls, officers are rarely afforded the opportunity to engage in other long-term law enforcement endeavors. Given the immediacy of dealing with dispatched calls, LCPD officers are stretched too thin to accomplish much beyond addressing the backlog of calls that await them at shift change. There simply aren’t enough officers to handle much more than the immediate needs called on by the community.
District Attorney, Gerald M. Byers, addressed the public with an overview of how the Third Judicial Court is handling its role in the recent upswing in property and violent crime. He was quick to acknowledge the statutory inability of the courts to hold even those accused of violent crimes in detention. Stating how it didn’t really matter who was prosecuting or presiding over a case, the case law and current interpretations of standing law did not allow for people to remain detained while awaiting trial. He acknowledged that, in our country, the presumption of innocence is paramount. The biggest problem with this is that there has been a marked increase in repeat offenders, and there is not much that can be done without specific changes being made to the procedures and laws governing the courts.
Gerald M. Byers currently serves as the District Attorney for the Third Judicial District in Doña Ana County, New Mexico: the second largest District Attorney’s Office in the state. Gerald is a career prosecutor with over 23 years of experience prosecuting cases ranging from DWI to Capital Murder.
While not specifically addressing the issue, the homeless problem colored every constraint discussed at the meeting. It is clear that there isn’t a single solution to the problem of homelessness in Las Cruces. It is going to take changes on many levels and in many areas to successfully address the homeless problem.
Questions asked at the end of the presentations ranged from specific instances to general statements, mostly commending the LCPD for their ability to at least stem the tide of our community’s crime wave.
From the Original Press Release (Source: City of Las Cruces):
The Las Cruces Police Department is hosting a Town Hall Meeting on Thursday, April 25, to discuss plans to help reduce property and violent crime within the community.
The Town Hall Meeting begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 25, in Council Chambers at Las Cruces City Hall, 700 N. Main St.
The meeting will serve as an opportunity for residents to connect with LCPD officials, gain insight into initiatives that are in the works to help reduce crime, ask questions and contribute to the ongoing efforts in promoting safety within the community.
The Town Hall Meeting will be televised live in standard definition on CLCTV, Comcast Cable channel 20, and in high definition on Comcast Cable channel 928. Also, the meeting will be live streamed and on the City’s YouTube channel.
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