The governor of New Mexico declares a state of emergency and uses the national guard to combat the rise in crime in Albuquerque

A considerable increase in violence has prompted New Mexico Governor Grisham to proclaim a state of emergency in Albuquerque.

In a historic step to send the New Mexico National Guard to assist local law enforcement, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced a state of emergency in Albuquerque on Tuesday in response to a notable increase in crime. According to the governor’s signed executive order, starting in mid-May, 60 to 70 National Guard soldiers will be stationed along the famous Route 66 area.

The action, which aims to combat an increasing crime wave in the largest city in New Mexico, also frees up state finances to support the deployment, with the troops already undergoing training. Like many other cities in the country, Albuquerque has been under increasing strain due to rising crime rates, and local law enforcement has stated that more resources are needed.

Harold Medina, the chief of police in Albuquerque, stressed the value of the National Guard’s assistance in allowing police officers to concentrate more on patrolling and preventing crimes. During a news conference with Mayor Tim Keller, Medina commended the current police efforts and displayed a sizable chart that showed a decline in crime in several categories. He emphasized, nevertheless, that additional assistance was required to address the city’s ongoing problems.

“The public will not be directly interacting with the National Guard. They will perform supported duties such as traffic management, crime scene security, prisoner transportation, and drone operations to find suspects or evaluate situations, according to Medina. Along the Route 66 corridor, where homelessness has increased recently, the troops will also help distribute food and supplies to the homeless community.

Civil rights organizations are concerned about the move, even though the National Guard deployment is perceived as a possible reprieve for overworked police personnel. The militarization of local law enforcement has alarmed the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico, which cautions that such actions frequently result in civil rights violations, especially harming vulnerable groups like the homeless and the poor.

The action, according to ACLU policy advocate Daniel Williams, was a “show of force” rather than a thorough answer. “The number of people killed by police in New Mexico is already among the highest in the country per capita. History demonstrates that military cooperation with local law enforcement frequently results in a rise in racial profiling, civil rights abuses, and the prosecution of vulnerable groups, Williams added.

The role of the National Guard is not unprecedented. In recent years, the National Guard has been employed by governors around the United States to solve a range of public safety challenges, including illegal border crossings and natural catastrophes. To combat increasing crime, including auto theft, drug trafficking, and aggressive driving, Governor Lujan Grisham temporarily sent state police personnel to Albuquerque in 2021.

Citing the escalating fentanyl crisis and a concerning rise in violent juvenile crime, Albuquerque’s police chief recently called for the National Guard’s help in response to the recent spike in crime. The continuous difficulties along Central Avenue, where shootings and serious attacks had been common, were also mentioned in Medina’s letter to the governor. The police chief contended that more resources were required to sustain and expedite the reforms, even if there had been some progress in lowering these incidences.

After the New Mexico Legislature adjourned without enacting important public safety measures, which infuriated the governor, prosecutors, and law enforcement officials, Lujan Grisham issued his most recent emergency proclamation. Progress was shown in February when Albuquerque police revealed data indicating an 11% drop in aggravated assaults and a second consecutive year of fewer homicides in the city. Local leaders, however, are nonetheless worried about these cuts’ long-term efficacy in the absence of consistent backing from federal and state authorities.

Albuquerque is struggling to strike a balance between civil liberties and public safety while the National Guard gets ready to help, a topic that will probably take center stage in conversations in the months to come.