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In the area in which I reside, there are 2 cars which come and go all hours of the night and day, and would be what I would call in the 1960's as suspicious activity. It's suspicious because almost nobody goes from their dwelling making possibly as many as 10 round trips per day to who knows where they go? The trips last about 15 to 25 minute intervals. What are these people doing? Selling and delivering drugs?
If I take it upon myself to notify the PD, they'll say well, the vehicle being used is legally licensed, the exhaust system is noisy, but, so is half of the population's of T or C's motor vehicles.
So, what pretence would there be for a traffic stop leading up to a drug arrest, and the possibility of making part of a gang or a gang member move to another locale? probably none.
Remember, an officer must have probable cause to make a stop, leading to an arrest. Police are bound by laws which protects citizens from illegal searches and seizures. In other words, the laws we have on our books protect citizens from police abuse.
I recall back in the old days, when a cop stopped you for a minor infraction, the sky was the limit on what an officer could do. Now in this day and age, the hands of our local PD's are tied. Therefore, nipping early signs of gang/drug dealing activity in the bud is a pipe dream. Only when things begin to get out of hand are police able to take action, as ineffective as it may be.
Gangs and drug dealers use our laws to hide behind, so they can continue their unabated illegal activities.
Police might be bound by certain laws, however you can make really good use of confidential informants and undercover agents.
I honestly believe that while not being 100% accurate there may be some truth to the stats reported in that article. We all know that NM has a huge problem with drugs, alcohol, and gambling and according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, most prisoners in state correctional facilities stated that they were regular users of drugs and alcohol and were under the influence at the time thier crime was commited. I also read on the BJS's website that something like 60+% of prisoners convicted of homocide have mental health issues. I believe the lack of help for those with mental health issues in NM has been discussed on here before. I'm not sure that I would say NM deserves to be in the top 10, or that I ever feared for my safety while living there. On the other hand I would say that I was always aware of my surroundings and would have never went "out on the town" alone. I also wonder how many of these homocides reported were vehicular due to DUIs because we all know how big of a problem that is in NM.
Prisons in general in the US are the biggest Mental Health facitities in the country. Who did it start with, Kennedy I think, but he started the ball rolling for closing Mental Health facitiles across the country. Good news is that Florida built one specific for people with mental health issues so maybe it will be a sign of things to come and we can get some of these people out of or prisons.
and again, I will give my opinion for what it is worth::: there are so many things that go into compiling these stats that, to me, they really don't amount to much..Are the crimes committed mostly gang related, in certain areas of the state or city, are they committed mostly on family members? All these things figure into the equation...
Nita
Maybe that's why NM seems quite safe. If most murders are between drug traffickers, gang types, or domestic and you don't have those associations, then you're quite safe.
For myself, it's crimes by strangers that I'd fear more.
Just to set the record straight on this now useless thread. Never once did I imply that I found this piece of information credible. I simply wanted (YOU) those who live in NM a chance to rebut this statement for what it’s worth. If I misinterpret someone’s reply, then apologize for doing so.
Never heard of "wallet pop" or "CQ Press", so, who are these people I was so blissfully ignorant of 5 minutes ago?
I think someone started a thread awhile ago using at least one of these nutcase blogs or whatever it is.
The statistical methodology in the study is sound and is peer-reviewed. The raw data is from the FBI. Crime State Ranking 2009 is used as a respected reference by criminolgists. That you haven't heard of "wallet pop" the blog that posted the list, or "CQ Press" that published the study proves nothing.
The latest complete year is 2007. The basic page is here:
Crime in the United States 2007 (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2007/index.html - broken link)
With their warning Caution Against Ranking (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2007/about/variables_affecting_crime.html - broken link) Read why the FBI discourages ranking agencies on the sole basis of UCR data.
The latest complete year is 2007. The basic page is here:
Crime in the United States 2007 (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2007/index.html - broken link)
With their warning Caution Against Ranking (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2007/about/variables_affecting_crime.html - broken link) Read why the FBI discourages ranking agencies on the sole basis of UCR data.
Rich
That makes sense. It's not a good idea to blow off crime especially growing crimes and gang violence. Most people living and traveling in New Mexico don't have fear and have no real good reason to feel unsafe but there are some problems that can't be discounted.
We can feel safe enough when teenaged criminals are shooting at nothing but one another or stabbing their girlfriends to death but it's still a problem that should be addressed. Child abuse is too high also.
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