Our view: Without action, crime will pay - Santa Fe New Mexican

Obviously, Santa Fe is not perfect when it comes to crime.

Violence, illegal drug use, burglaries and auto thefts are a fact of life in Santa Fe just as they are in most American towns or cities. Already this month, the city has had three violent deaths — one by shooting, one by stabbing and one self-inflicted after bullying. They are unrelated but shocking. This violence must not continue to spread its poison.

But for us, there is always a silver lining: As bad as it gets, at least we are not as dangerous as Albuquerque when it comes to crime. That seems more true than ever these days. What in the world is wrong with Albuquerque? Most Northern New Mexicans end up in New Mexico’s biggest city for one reason or another — shopping, attending a sports event, going to the airport, driving south or west or simply because it has a Costco and Santa Fe does not.

Watching from the north, however, it has been hard to understand how citizens of the Duke City are not up in arms over the crime rate, the lack of government leadership and the other problems that plague Albuquerque. Anecdotally, we all know friends or relatives in Albuquerque who have had a car stolen, sometimes more than once. Statistics back this up, with Albuquerque now the nation’s leader in auto thefts.

Consider this: Last week, a TV news crew investigating Albuquerque’s crime problems lost the station’s SUV, stolen while the crew was reporting the story. Talk about national publicity a city does not need. (The truck was recovered, thanks to its GPS tracking device and the intrepid journalists; police were not involved in finding the stolen vehicle.)

The KOB news team was looking into downtown crime issues because officials from the startup tech business Lavu had written to city and state leaders and said they would leave Albuquerque if the crime rate does not decrease. “I cannot stress enough to the both of you how serious the lack of safety in downtown Albuquerque has become for Lavu,” company President Ohad Jehassi wrote. “So much that there are now serious discussions at the board of director level at Lavu as to the need of Lavu to move.”

The business, he went on to say, wants to be able to “assure employees that they need not risk their life, health or property when coming to or leaving from work.”

The tech firm’s action might actually get results — little else has seemed to work in bringing Albuquerque under control. More patrols have been promised in the area. Police and city officials are paying attention. Once again, though, officials are reacting. We don’t have enough leaders trying to get ahead of the criminals, rather than simply trying to gain control.

In Santa Fe, we need to learn from what has happened in Albuquerque. Our leaders — city, police and others — have to be a step ahead of crime. Whether increasing patrols in downtown Santa Fe to ensure safety for visitors and locals enjoying nightlife, doing a better job of investigating property crimes or keeping citizens safe from aggressive panhandling, it’s essential to anticipate the bad guys.

Crime does not have to become a fact of everyday life. Unless, like Albuquerque, we do nothing until it’s too late.

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