Public Safety
Advocate for and help implement local and state-level policies and practices that will result in a reduction in crime in Bernalillo County and a tough, strategic, fair, and sophisticated criminal justice system.
Our Core Beliefs:
- High crime impedes economic growth, raising business costs and making it harder to attract employers and workers.
- Those who commit crimes must face swift and certain apprehension and punishment; this is a key deterrent, and in New Mexico, it’s not happening.
- The data-driven differentiation of offenders and deployment of technology in crime-fighting are keys to a more efficient, effective, and fair justice system.
- Recent major changes to New Mexico’s justice system have made it harder to police and prosecute crime; in the end, the criminal element benefits. This includes holding fewer offenders in jail pre-trial, nixing the grand jury as a method to secure most indictments, onerous case processing rules and timelines, and continued DOJ oversight of APD.
- Crime in Albuquerque is substantially driven by drug use, trafficking, addiction, and behavioral health disorders.
The Chamber’s Public Safety Policy Planks:
- Increase the number of police officers and prosecutors in Albuquerque and improve community-based crime-fighting
- Ensure Albuquerque has a well-trained, professional police department; support APD in satisfying the DOJ settlement agreement
- Improve the use of data, analytics, and technology to make policing and prosecution more strategic and intelligence-driven
- Reform criminal justice practices: improve the efficiency of case processing, better address behavioral health challenges, and ensure criminals face swift/certain punishment
Progress and Initiatives
Crack Down on Serious Repeat Offenders
- Support federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutors in identifying offenders with warrants who are driving violent crime and drug trafficking – and get them held in jail and off the streets.
Attack Fentanyl Trafficking
- Support legislation increasing penalties for the trafficking of fentanyl, as well as efforts to stop the flow of fentanyl across New Mexico’s southern border.
Pre-Trial Release of Serious Offenders
- Analyze and publish data describing the impact of pre-trial release and the “revolving door” justice system on public safety.
- Push for statutory changes, including the creation of a rebuttable presumption of detention for repeat offenders and those arrested for serious/violent crimes.
Exit DOJ Oversight of APD, Add to Officer Ranks
- Push for a swift resolution to the DOJ’s settlement agreement with APD, with a clear exit timeline.
- Support efforts to recruit more police officers to ABQ, oppose policies that would hinder recruitment.
Crime-Fighting Technology
- Help secure capital funding for more police technology and equipment, support local efforts to tie private security cameras to the Real Time Crime Center – especially in Downtown.
Child Wellbeing and Safety
- Support efforts to improve the investigation and handling of child abuse incidents and the prioritization – in policy and practice – of the safety of a child above all else when placement determinations are made.
TAKING A STAND: City Council approves ordinance on vacant Downtown properties
The City Council also approved an ordinance requiring vacant properties in Downtown Albuquerque to be registered with the city and pay a fee starting July ...
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FINANCIAL FUTURE: Chamber hosts ‘Business Beat’ with Legislative Finance Committee Director Charles Sallee
The Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce began its “Business Beat” speaker series with a virtual panel on Dec. 2. The event was the first of ...
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BUSINESS BEAT 1: New Mexico’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook
On Dec. 2, the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce hosted “Business Beat” virtual panel with Legislative Finance Committee director Charles Sallee. Check out the video ...
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BUILDING COMMUNITY: City hosting Constructive Conversations on housing and homelessness
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller announced the second series of “Constructive Conversations,” community meetings to foster dialogue between residents and city leaders to shape the ...
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WORKING TOGETHER FOR CHANGE: District Attorney Sam Bregman talks crime stats at GACC meeting; Prosecutor of the Year Award debuts
On Nov. 13, community and business leaders arrived at the Albuquerque Convention Center to hear about crime in Albuquerque – more specifically, how to ...
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INVESTING IN THE FUTURE: Voters approve University of New Mexico Hospital mill levy, GO Bond 3
Voters in New Mexico gave higher education in the state a funding boost for brick-and-mortar projects with the decisive approval of GO Bond 3 in ...
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PARTNERING UP: City, county and APS collaborate to present 2024 Fentanyl Forum
The Keep NM Alive collaborative — comprised of Bernalillo County, Santa Fe County, city of Albuquerque, Albuquerque Public Schools, New Mexico Department of Health, New ...
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PARTNERING UP: Bernalillo County, APS launch ‘Health Yeah’ mobile health clinics
Bernalillo County, in collaboration with Wellness Equity Alliance and Albuquerque Public Schools (APS), announced the launch of “Health Yeah!,” an initiative introducing mobile health clinics ...
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LEGENDARY WORK: Chamber remembers the legacy of Sen. John Arthur Smith
Former state Sen. John Arthur Smith died early Monday. The conservative Democrat, a Deming native, who earned a reputation as a fiscal pragmatist who bucked ...
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HITTING A ROADBLOCK: City Council votes 8-1 against package that would tackle vacant buildings, loitering in Downtown
On Monday night, the Albuquerque City Council voted resoundingly against a package aimed at tackling vacant buildings and people sleeping or loitering on sidewalks, among ...
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Learn more about the Public Safety Initiatives
We invite you to learn more about the public safety initiatives of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce and encourage you to contact us with any questions or suggestions you may have.
