ABQ’s Crime Rates Going Down, But ABQ Still A Violent City

Back in June, 2018 the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) released the city’s crime statistics for the first half of the year comparing them to the first half of 2017 (January to June).

Six months ago, Albuquerque’s property crimes were reported as going down, but the homicide rate was still alarming.

In March of this year, 5 homicides were reported in six days!

Albuquerque had 39 homicides the first 6 months of this year as compared to 33 murders for the same time period last year.

You can review the first six months of crime statistics here:

https://www.petedinelli.com/2018/07/19/kudos-to-keller-apd-for-bringing-property-crime-down-but-still-carry-your-gun/

On December 27, 2018, Mayor Tim Keller and Chief Geier held a press conference to release Albuquerque’s crime statistics for the entire year of 2018.

https://www.abqjournal.com/1261926/apd-release-crime-stats-for-2018.html

Albuquerque continues to have its very first decrease in overall crime in 8 years.

Following are the crime statistics for the entire year of 2018 comparing them with the statistics for the entire year of 2017 as well as the first 6 months of each year.

TOTAL TRAFFIC STOPS FOR TWO YEARS

2017: 32,739 (First 6 months: 17,376)
2018: 42,033 (First 6 months: 23,461)
Change: +31% (First 6 months +35%)

TOTAL PROPERTY CRIMES FOR TWO YEARS

AUTO BURGLARY FOR TWO YEARS
2017:12,999 (First 6 months: 6,559)
2018: 9,218 (First 6 months: 4,523)
Change: -29% (First 6 months: -31%)

AUTO THEFT FOR TWO YEARS
2017: 7,692 (First 6 months: 3,633)
2018: 5,341 (First 6 months: 3,061)
Change: -31 (First 6 months: -15.7 %)

COMMERCIAL BURGLARY FOR TWO YEARS
2017: 2,298 (First 6 months:1,183)
2018: 1,918 (First 6 months: 994)
Change: -17% (First 6 months -15.9%)

RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY FOR TWO YEARS
2017: 4,704 (First 6 months: 2,207)
2018: 3,847 (First 6 months: 2,075)
Change: -18 (First 6 months -5.9%)

VIOLENT CRIME FOR TWO YEARS

ROBBERY FOR TWO YEARS
2017: 2,930 (First 6 months: 1,467)
2018: 1,887 (First 6 months: 1,012)
Change: -36% (First 6 months: -31%)

AGGRAVATED ASSAULT FOR TWO YEARS
2017: 4,213 (First 6 months: 1,957)
2018: 3,885 (First 6 months: 1,851)
Change: -8 (First 6 months: -5.4)

NON-FATAL SHOOTINGS FOR TWO YEARS
2017: 470 (First 6 months: 60)
2018: 491 (First 6 months: 63)
Change: +4 (First 6 months: +5.0%)

RAPE FOR TWO YEARS
2017: 473 (First 6 months: 236)
2018: 461 (First 6 months: 226)
Change: -3% (First six months -4.2)

HOMICIDES FOR TWO YEARS
2017: 72 (First 6 months: 33)
2018: 65 (First 6 months:39)
Change: -10% (First 6 months -18.2%)

Review of the city’s crime statistics for the entire year of 2018 show the largest decreases in the property crimes of auto burglary (-29%), auto theft (-31%), commercial burglary (-17 percent) and residential burglary (-18%) and robbery fell by 36%.

During the December 27, 2018 press conference, Mayor Tim Keller had this to say:

“This is the first time [in the last 8 years] at least, we’re going in the right direction. … It is with sober optimism that we share these statistics because we know that, overall, the rates are still too high. … We have failed as a society, frankly, to do this in the first place … It’s something that continues to plague us each and every day when we read the front page of the newspaper or watch our television set.”

Mayor Keller announced that the city and Police Department are working on a “comprehensive plan” to treat gun violence as a “public health crisis.”

APD Chief Geier reported that at least 2,000 guns stolen out of homes and vehicles since 2016 and that there is a big need for public outreach educate the public to better secure guns and not leave guns where they can be stolen.

According to Geier, APD will now target gun violence by adding resources, investing in new technology and working with communities to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and new initiatives to fight gun violence in the coming weeks and work with legislators and city councilors to make it a priority for Albuquerque.

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

It is terrific news that after 8 years, Albuquerque’s Crimes rates are indeed going down under the leadership of Mayor Tim Keller and APD Chief Michael Geier.

Albuquerque’s downward trend in crime is also a reflection with what is happening throughout the country.

Mayor Keller and Chief Geier can take comfort with the news that their policies do indeed seem to be working.

The Keller Administration and the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) intends to spend $88 million dollars, over the next four-year period, with 32 million dollars of recurring expenditures, to hire 322 sworn officers and expand APD from 878 sworn police officers to 1,200 officers.

The massive investment is being done in order to full fill Mayor Tim Keller’s 2017 campaign promise to increase the size of APD and return to community-based policing as a means of reducing the city’s high crime rates.

APD is projecting that it will have 980 officers by next summer by growing the ranks with both new cadets, lateral hires from other departments, and returning to work APD retirees.

Notwithstanding the reduction in the crimes statistics, Albuquerque is still a way too violent city and both Keller and Geier know it and admit it.

Both property crime and violent crimes have dropped, but violent crime is still at unacceptable levels for a city the size of Albuquerque.

Homicides decreased 10%, rape dropped 3% and aggravated assault went down 8%

In 2017, the city broke the all-time homicide rate of 70 with 72 murders and this year in 2018 there were 65 murders.

In December, 2018, 2 police officer deadly force shootings occurred in less than 24 hours.

In 2018, nonfatal shootings went up 4% from 470 to 491 shootings.

According to APD, the city was inundated with guns hitting the street with nearly 1,000 firearms stolen from homes and vehicles from January to November of this year.

The underlying message with the 2018 declining crime statistics is that people can start to feel better that their property is a little safer, but people still may feel a need to carry a gun to protect themselves and their home and property.

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About

Pete Dinelli was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is of Italian and Hispanic descent. He is a 1970 graduate of Del Norte High School, a 1974 graduate of Eastern New Mexico University with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration and a 1977 graduate of St. Mary's School of Law, San Antonio, Texas. Pete has a 40 year history of community involvement and service as an elected and appointed official and as a practicing attorney in Albuquerque. Pete and his wife Betty Case Dinelli have been married since 1984 and they have two adult sons, Mark, who is an attorney and George, who is an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). Pete has been a licensed New Mexico attorney since 1978. Pete has over 27 years of municipal and state government service. Pete’s service to Albuquerque has been extensive. He has been an elected Albuquerque City Councilor, serving as Vice President. He has served as a Worker’s Compensation Judge with Statewide jurisdiction. Pete has been a prosecutor for 15 years and has served as a Bernalillo County Chief Deputy District Attorney, as an Assistant Attorney General and Assistant District Attorney and as a Deputy City Attorney. For eight years, Pete was employed with the City of Albuquerque both as a Deputy City Attorney and Chief Public Safety Officer overseeing the city departments of police, fire, 911 emergency call center and the emergency operations center. While with the City of Albuquerque Legal Department, Pete served as Director of the Safe City Strike Force and Interim Director of the 911 Emergency Operations Center. Pete’s community involvement includes being a past President of the Albuquerque Kiwanis Club, past President of the Our Lady of Fatima School Board, and Board of Directors of the Albuquerque Museum Foundation.