HOUSE MEMORIAL 26

48th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2007

INTRODUCED BY

Nick L. Salazar

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THAT THE NEW MEXICO HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ACKNOWLEDGE THE NEED TO PROTECT THE RESIDENTS OF CHAMITA, NEW MEXICO AND ITS FELLOW RURAL COMMUNITIES IN RIO ARRIBA COUNTY BY RECOGNIZING THE NEED FOR SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED STATE POLICE PROTECTION IN THE FORM OF ADDITIONAL FIELD OFFICERS ASSIGNED TO THE AREA.

     WHEREAS, rural communities in Rio Arriba county, such as Chamita, are supported by only two state field or patrol officers, who cover Rio Arriba county as well as portions of Sandoval, Santa Fe and Taos counties; and

     WHEREAS, criminal activity such as extensive property damage, burglaries, drug trafficking and other drug- and alcohol-related crimes in the area are rising at an alarming rate and threaten the safety of the residents of Chamita and Rio Arriba county as a whole; and

     WHEREAS, criminal activity is more likely to occur when and where the expected gains are higher, and where a lower likelihood of arrests by police is a key factor favorable to criminal activity; and

     WHEREAS, areas known by criminals to carry a lower likelihood of arrest attract an increasing number of such individuals, and this has led to an escalation in criminal activity in the community of Chamita and the surrounding areas; and

     WHEREAS, if the number of police officers assigned to any patrol area is limited or fixed, then the total number of arrests that can be made in that area will also be limited or fixed; and

     WHEREAS, increasing the number of permanently assigned state police officers will act as a deterrent to individuals engaging in criminal behavior through higher rates of apprehension, arrest and conviction of criminal suspects;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that it recognize that the residents of Chamita and the neighboring areas in Rio Arriba county have a dire need for assignment of additional New Mexico state police officers in those areas to reinforce community efforts to halt and reverse the current escalation of criminal activity that is adversely affecting the citizenry and degrading these communities; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the house recognize the necessity for the required legislative action and appropriation of funds that will enable the New Mexico state police to assign the required additional law enforcement officers requested by the residents of Chamita and the surrounding areas of Rio Arriba county; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the office of the governor, the drug enforcement advisory council, the Rio Arriba county commission, the Rio Arriba sheriff's office and the New Mexico state police.

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