Crime crackdown to be focus at session

Gov. Susana Martinez announced this week legislative proposals taking a tough stance on crime in the state; locally, law officials were on board.

A number of measures focused on repeat offenders, supporting courts and protecting children were announced Monday in a news release from Martinez’ office. They included “cracking down on adult and juvenile fugitives,” greater penalties for DWI offenses, and expanding the state’s three-strikes law to allow a life sentence for a third violent felony conviction.

District Attorney Andrea Reeb said she didn’t disagree with any of Martinez’ proposed legislation, and especially supported measures concerning the state’s “revolving door” detention system.

“I think the most important one is reforming the pre-trial release system. I don’t think that is working the way it is supposed to work,” she said Friday. “It’s becoming more clear, every case that comes down, that it needs a lot of work. You see someone who sits in jail for four days on a minor offense, and then somebody alleged to commit a (sex crime) walking out of the jail.”

Reeb expected pre-trial release reform to be a “hot topic” at the upcoming legislative session starting this month in Santa Fe. She hopes prosecutors and defense attorneys can talk during the session about stronger guidelines for bonding procedures.

She also seeks sponsorship for a bill next week that would stiffen penalties for shooting a law enforcement officer.

“I personally hope to propose legislation to increase penalties for shooting a police officer from third degree to second degree felony at this session,” she said. “Right now if you shoot a cop it’s not different from shooting you or me ... I thought that was kind of strange that there wasn’t an enhanced penalty for someone that puts on a uniform and gets shot at.”

Martinez said she would “once again call on the Legislature to reinstate the death penalty for those who kill children, police or corrections officers.”

Reeb agreed with Martinez on reinstating the death penalty, though she said it was more likely a goal “we need to continue to work towards” rather than expect to pass this year.

Portales Police Detective Charlie Smart agreed emphatically with the death penalty proposal and went further, writing in an email Friday that he feels “it should be for anyone who is convicted for the death of another person without any justifiable reason or done while in the commission of a violent felony.”

He said he also especially supported Martinez’ proposal for greater penalties on crimes committed while on probation or parole, drawing from personal experience in his three decades with law enforcement in the state.

“I agree sanctions should be in place for individuals who violate their standard probation/parole agreements, however I do feel all too often their infractions are allowed to repeat several times before anything is done,” he wrote. “I have citizens regularly quiz me on the reason for this and I have no answer for them.”