On April 9, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued an Executive Order declaring an emergency and sending 60 to 70 National Guard troops to aid the Albuquerque Police Department to help fight crime. According to a news release, the training of national guard troops to assist APD is already underway and under the supervision of the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security, Department of Public Safety, State Police and APD. The goal is to free up APD Officers so they can focus more on fighting crime as the Governor declares an emergency in the state’s largest city.
CHIEF MEDINA’S LETTER TO GOVERNOR MAKING REQUEST
The sending of the National Guard to Albuquerque is a direct response to a March 31 letter to the Governor from APD Chief Harold Medina for the National Guard to fulfill “non-law enforcement duties” such as providing security at crime scene perimeters and transporting prisoners, among others. The emergency request from APD Chief Harold Medina cited rising violent juvenile crime and the fentanyl epidemic as issues that require immediate intervention.
In his March 31 letter to Governor Lujan Grisham, Chief Medina said he wanted to keep the momentum made by APD officers and expressed the need to have them on the streets, not driving prisoners to the Metropolitan Detention Center or providing security at city facilities and courthouses.
The guardsmen could also be used for helping with document filing and organization of APD cases for prosecutors, operating drones and distributing food, water and aid to “vulnerable populations.”
Medina wrote that deploying NMNG “in these roles would enable APD to reallocate resources more effectively, sustaining continuous enforcement and essential services 24 hours a day.” Medina called the reinforcements “critical to improving public safety and the quality of life for Albuquerque residents.”
Medina said this in his March 31 letter to the governor:
“The community must see NMNG (New Mexico National Guard) members not as a military force but as trained professionals dedicated to supporting and protecting residents.”
The link to review the March 31 letter from Medina to the Governor is here:
Click to access 033125-ltr-from-medina-to-gmlg-re-national-guard-67f57cdb7dbc6.pdf
THE GOVERNOR’S EXECUTIVE ORDER
On April 9, Governor Lujan Grisham signed the Executive Order that directed up to $750,000 to be made available for the deployment of guardsmen “needed to provide military support to civil authorities as needed for this emergency.” Lujan Grisham said this in a news release announcing the order:
“The safety of New Mexicans is my top priority. … By deploying our National Guard to support APD with essential duties, we’re ensuring that trained police officers can focus on what they do best [which is] keeping our communities safe. This partnership represents our commitment to addressing the fentanyl crisis and juvenile crime with every resource at our disposal.”
The governor’s executive order left the timeline for the National Guards presence open-ended but said they would arrive in mid-May and will address “ongoing public safety challenges in the city, particularly along the Central Avenue corridor and other specific areas.”
The governor’s office said the National Guard will assist in the following areas:
- Scene security and traffic control at critical incidents
- Medical assistance and humanitarian efforts along Central Avenue
- Prisoner Transport Unit assistance
- Transit security enhancement
- Metro Court security support
- Aviation/Sunport security assistance
- Shield Unit case preparation support
- APD Drone Program operational assistance
The Governor’s Executive Order comes after back-to-back operations along East Central to tackle crime, particularly fentanyl usage. APD had its own operation that started late last year. Currently, the New Mexico State Police, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and the 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office have an ongoing operation known as “Operation Route 66” to tackle crime in the area. Both operations have been declared a success by all four agencies with hundreds of arrests being made.
Deputy Deanna Aragon, a Bernalillo County Sherriff’s Spokesperson said the agency appreciates the Governor’s actions and said this:
“[BCSO appreciates] the governor’s concern and her efforts to support public safety. We are already seeing measurable success through Operation Route 66, a coordinated effort that is producing real results. The numbers speak for themselves … We will continue doing the work that keeps our streets safer every day.”
Nancy Laflin, spokeswoman for the 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office, said Operation Route 66 had netted 400 arrests over seven weeks, recovering dozens of guns and stolen vehicles. Laflin said this:
“… [W]e appreciate any and all help from law enforcement as we continue to clean up the streets of Albuquerque.”
NOT THE FIRST TIME
This is not the first time Governor Lujan Grisham has declared an emergency over crime issues or dispatched reinforcements to Albuquerque’s streets. This is the very first time she has deployed the National Guard. The efforts have had mixed results.
In September 2023, Lujan Grisham declared a public health emergency over gun violence, spurred by the fatal shooting of an 11-year-old boy. She ordered a firearm ban in public places in Bernalillo County, which was quickly challenged in court and blocked by a federal judge.
And in 2019, Lujan Grisham dispatched dozens of New Mexico State Police officers to Albuquerque for the Metro Surge Operation after University of New Mexico baseball player Jackson Weller was fatally shot in Nob Hill. That operation came under scrutiny when many of the prosecutions fell apart because the officers, who came from all over the state, didn’t show up to hearings.
PILOT PROJECT OF POLO SHIRTS AND NO GUNS
On April 8, Mayor Tim Keller and APD Chief Harold Medina held a news conference to announce the deployment of the National Guard to Albuquerque.
During the April 8 news conference, Chief Medina said the initiative of sending the New Mexico National Guard (NMNG) to the city is a pilot project that has been in the works for months after the NMNG offered help and one the department will measure to determine its success. Medina emphasized the National Guardsmen will have the same authority and fulfill the same roles as police service aides, who often can be seen blocking traffic around crime scenes.
The National Guard’s main role will be to support Albuquerque police officers, so those officers can be out on the streets fighting crime. The National Guard will be responding to medical emergencies, de-escalating potentially volatile encounters, and handing out water and food to people dealing with homelessness. They’ll also be doing security at crime scenes and traffic control for accidents, transporting prisoners and helping TSA at the Sunport. Basically, if it’s something that would tie up an APD officer from being out making arrests, that’s where the National Guard would step in. Medina said this:
“Our officers spend a lot of time on scenes that they don’t need to. We have officers parked guarding violent crime scenes for up to 6, 8, 12 hours. We have officers guarding fatal traffic accidents 6, 8, 12 hours. If I can start taking 6 hours off these on scene clears it’s gonna make a huge difference, and it’s going to start swaying and getting officers back in service, and getting resources back into the community at even a faster pace,”
According to Medina, the assistance from the National Guard will free up 20 to 30 officers for law enforcement and crime-fighting, he said, adding that some officers have to hold scene perimeters for several hours.
Chief Medina made assurances during the April 8 briefing that the National Guardsmen “[will] not have law enforcement authority” and “cannot take law enforcement action.” Medina said this:
“I just don’t want this to turn into, ‘Oh my God, the National Guard is here to save the city.’ No, the National Guard is here to help clear up officers.”
When asked if the situation constituted a true emergency, Medina said this:
“On a weekly basis, I look at all of the media’s stories. I hear ‘crime crisis.’ I hear ‘crime is out of control.’ So I would say that … there is a perception that there is an emergency in the community that is out there.”
During the April 8 news briefing Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said the guardsmen will be unarmed and wear polo shirts instead of uniforms and “will not be involved in community interaction or use military vehicles.” Keller said this:
“What we want to do is double down on what’s working … and what’s working is technology and civilians … freeing up officers to fight crime and keep those statistics going in this powerfully good direction. … A short-term way to help with that is by the National Guardsmen helping out. … We’re hoping [this pilot project] is going to be effective, but if it’s not, we will just send people home. … We invited these folks in to see if the program will help Albuquerque. If it is helpful, we may look at this in other areas.”
Mayor Keller said another bonus is the city doesn’t have to pay for the guardsmen, and it won’t impact APD’s budget.
Chief Medina and Mayor Keller could not give a timeline on how long the guardsmen would be needed. However Medina said the hope is to get to 1,000 APD officers which currently has around 850 by the time the NMNG leaves.
THE ACLU RESPONSE
The ACLU of New Mexico was quick to criticized the governor’s authorization to deploy National Guard personnel to Albuquerque calling it “a show of force, not a show of solutions.” Daniel Williams, policy advocate at the ACLU of New Mexico, issued the following statement:
“All of us deserve to be safe at home, at work, and in our community. We, like so many in Albuquerque, know that that’s not always the case in our city. However, Governor Lujan Grisham’s deployment of the National Guard to support Albuquerque police is a show of force, not a show of solutions. New Mexico already has one of the highest per capita rates of people killed by police in the nation. History has shown that military collaboration with local law enforcement often leads to increased civil rights violations, racial profiling, and criminalization of vulnerable populations, particularly those experiencing homelessness and poverty.”
“The governor’s past policy proposals too often have centered on efforts to criminalize and institutionalize unhoused New Mexicans, without a commensurate emphasis on solving the root causes of crime. New Mexicans should be confident that their governor is truly working to keep them safe, not doubling down on failed strategies that will fuel mass incarceration and multiply the harms our communities already endure. In a state so heavily impacted by police violence, the answer to safety cannot and will not be found in increased police presence, especially not through collaboration with the military.”
“Our neighbors deserve an urgent outpouring of services and support by those trained and equipped to properly provide it. All of us will be safer when all of us are housed. All of us will be safer when all of us have access to good healthcare. All of us will be safer when all of us are economically secure. We join our partners and New Mexicans across the state in asking the governor and all of our leaders to double down on putting resources toward these meaningful solutions, rather than continuing to criminalize the most vulnerable among us.”
REPUBLICAN REACTION
Republican State Senator Nicole Tobiassen, R-Albuquerque sharply criticized the deployment of the National Guard by the Governor and issued the following statement:
“Albuquerque’s crime crisis is a testament to the absolute failure of Mayor Keller and his progressive policies. It’s sad that his own police chief had to go over his head and seek state resources in order to try and keep up with the rampant violent crime, drug trafficking, juvenile crime, and gang activity that plagues our city. Mayor Keller and the progressive Democrats’ failed leadership have made our community into a literal war zone and we must change course before not even state resources can combat the chaos allowed in Albuquerque. This plea for help comes on the heels of a legislative session where Democrat lawmakers denied or killed every single substantive public safety proposal. Elections have consequences and city residents have seen enough.
Links to quoted or relied upon news sources are here:
https://www.kob.com/news/top-news/governor-authorizes-deployment-of-national-guard-to-support-apd/
https://www.koat.com/article/albuquerque-crime-national-guard-police/64423121
FUNCTION AND PURPOSE OF NEW MEXICO NATIONAL GUARD
The New Mexico Army National Guard is a part-time state-based military component that serves a dual mission. Each Guard unit serves under the command of the governor to respond to natural disasters or other state emergencies. In addition, Guard units can be activated to defend the nation when needed.
The National Guard’s main mission is to respond to domestic emergencies and combat missions. National Guard personnel are state officers exercising state authority. The national guard does not have authority to make any law enforcement arrests and essentially engages in military or marshal law functions when necessary to restore order. The New Mexico National Guard is the militia of the U.S. state of New Mexico. Comprising the New Mexico Army National Guard and the New Mexico Air National Guard, it is part of the National Guard of the United States, a reserve force under both state and federal jurisdiction.
https://nationalguard.com/new-mexico
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mexico_National_Guard
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
NOT THE FUNCTION OF THE NATIONAL GUARD
Chief Medina made assurances during the April 8 briefing that the National Guardsmen “[will] not have law enforcement authority” and “cannot take law enforcement action.” Chief Medina has no authority to dictate to the National Guard and its an affront to the purpose of the National Guard. Simply put, it is not the function of the New Mexico National Guard to become “police service aides” patrolling the streets of Albuquerque in polo shirts and out of uniform at the Governor’s whim and at Medina and Keller’s request.
The Governor is deploying 70 National Guard to free up 20 to 30 APD Officers. The Governor’s Executive Order sets a dangerous precedent and it is an abuse of National Guard Resources and some would say an abuse of power. The Governor should immediately withdraw her Executive Order and instead of dispatching the National Guard, she should deploy New Mexico State Police to the city as she has done in the past. The city needs law enforcement who can make arrests, not public safety aids.
MAYOR KELLER AND CHIEF MEDINA’S APD TRAIN WRECK.
The National Guard assisting the Albuquerque Police Department is in response to ongoing public safety challenges in the city, particularly along the Central Avenue corridor. What APD needs is an increase in law enforcement personnel to carry out its mission.
During the April 8 news conference on the Governor deploying the National Guard, both Mayor Keller and Chief Medina tried to emphasize that the deployment of the National Guard was temporary and an effort to assist APD to combat crime. Chief Medina said the hope is to have 1,000 APD officers, which currently has around 850 by the time the NMNG leaves. No one should bet on the deployment of the National Guard to help APD as being successful nor on APD having 1,000 police officers any time soon let alone when the National Guard leaves.
Seven years ago when Keller first ran for Mayor, then New Mexico State Auditor Tim Keller, candidate for Albuquerque Mayor, had this to say about the city’s high crime rates and APD numbers:
“It’s unfortunate, but crime is absolutely out of control. It’s the mayor’s job to actually address crime in Albuquerque, and that’s what I want to do as the next mayor.”
Proclaiming violent crime was out of control, Keller said that he could get crime down and that he would increase APD sworn from the then 850 to 1,200. Violent crime continues to spike and is out of control seven years later with APD currently at about 800 sworn officers.
APD has fallen off the cliff under Keller’s leadership over the last 7 years. Mayor Keller and Chief Harold Medina have seriously mismanaged the ongoing train wreck known as APD with the department still dangerously understaffed at about 800 cops despite seven years of increased budgets, salary increases, and lucrative bonus pay. Keller has literally thrown money at the problem, yet the department continues to languish. This coming from the Mayor who promised 1,200 cops during his first term. During a recent APD Academy graduation, Keller promised 1,000 cops by the end of the year which is not at all likely given expected retirements.
The city’s ongoing homicide and violent crime rates continue to be at historical highs and people simply do not feel safe in their homes as the fentanyl crisis surges. Although the city recorded a19% drop in homicides last year, the city’s homicides spiked under Keller despite his policies. Following are the raw numbers of homicide from the 8 years since Keller became Mayor in 2017:
- 2017: 70 homicides
- 2018: 69 homicides
- 2019: 80 homicides
- 2020: 78 homicides
- 2021: 110 homicides
- 2022: 120 homicides
- 2023: 93 homicides
- 2024: 89 homicides
The truth is APD is very top heavy with mid to upper management. According to sources within APD, the city has only about 250 sworn police officers out of the current 800 sworn who actually are patrolling the streets in three shifts 24 hours a day. Confidential source within APD have confirmed that many area commands often have as few as 3 sworn police patrolling entire area commands in 8 hours shifts, especially in high call volume area commands.
Rather than asking the Governor to send the National Guard to the City to patrol the streets of Albuquerque, Mayor Keller and Chief Medina should order all APD mid-management, including Lieutenants, Deputy Commanders, Commanders and Deputy Chiefs and order all detectives into uniform, and order them to get the hell out from behind their desks and mandate that they patrol streets of Albuquerque and make arrests at least 4 hours a day and assist with the very duties that they want the National Guard to perform. It’s called management of your limited personnel resources to deal with a crisis as opposed to Keller and Medina’s mismanagement.