Many of us have heard the phrase "we can't arrest ourselves out of the problem." However, there's no doubt that our enforcement efforts have increased the U.S. Attorney's Office caseload, as well as that of our state and local partners. In light of this, the Administration and the U.S. Department of Justice have strived for a balanced approach to crime interdiction in our communities. The District of New Mexico has spared no effort to achieve this goal. With the support and cooperation of CCDO and that of other agencies in the Office of Justice Programs, my district has been able to achieve much success through initiatives such as Weed and Seed, Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), and the Public Housing Safety Initiative (PHSI). The District of New Mexico has three active Weed and Seed sites and one recently graduated site. Through the Weed and Seed strategy, federal, state, tribal, and local partnerships have flourished in this district. The strategy has been a springboard for numerous related crime intervention initiatives, including drug, fugitive, and gang task forces. Leveraging these relationships and activities and their inherent resources to combat crime and allow community revitalization has been a truly rewarding experience for us and our partners. For example, the Weed and Seed site in the northern New Mexico city of Espanola has become the cornerstone of our drug and gang enforcement efforts in that region of the state. The site includes two Native American pueblos by virtue of their proximity to that location. The cooperation with not only the city, but also the county, state, and Indian Country jurisdictions created an ideal opportunity to launch the Indian Country PHSI in the pueblos of San Juan and Santa Clara this year. Using the Weed and Seed strategy as the basis of the initiative's proposal, we expect to see gains in crime suppression through financial, organizational, and technical support for local law enforcement. We also plan to use these resources to enhance community support activities through organizations such as the Boys & Girls Clubs and local tribal recreational, family, and youth intervention programs. The Espanola Weed and Seed site has also adopted PSN as the special emphasis program for its strategy and has already launched a successful warrant sweep coordinated by the U.S. Marshals Service. This operation included tribal, city, county, and state law enforcement and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) task force. PSN is also a critical component of our district's other Weed and Seed site strategies. Weed and Seed site coordinators attend regular PSN task force meetings. They offer valuable community input into the firearm reduction strategy that is primarily focused in target areas. The PSN task force and the Weed and Seed sites coordinate funding, law enforcement manpower, and other resources to maximize gun violence suppression. Through five initiatives—Targeted Patrols, Project Exile, Turning Point, Project Sentry, and VIPER—PSN has addressed multiple facets of the gun-crime problem in New Mexico. PSN provides overtime funds for our Albuquerque and Las Cruces PSN task force partners to conduct targeted patrols designed to disrupt illegal gun activity. The result of this strategy has been the arrest and prosecution of hundreds of violent criminals and the seizure of more than 2,000 illegal firearms. Targeted patrols are aided by our PSN-funded research partner, who provides gun violence crime data analysis and mapping of hotspots in our community. Federal prosecution under PSN Project Exile has resulted in enhanced sentencing of gun-wielding felons and a strong message that is also conveyed through our PSN task force's media partner that "Gun crime brings hard time!" We also target individuals who are on probation for violent crimes with a "carrot and stick" style intervention we call Turning Point. At Turning Point sessions, probationers and parolees are selected by their probation officers for their potential to turn their lives around before they become hardened criminals and reoffend. These individuals are introduced to representatives from the social service community who offer proactive alternatives to a criminal lifestyle. We have also partnered with the public schools in Weed and Seed communities to present Project Sentry, which focuses on keeping kids safe from illegal guns and gun crime. Middle school children are taught a curriculum comprising two modules: "Options, Choices, and Consequences," which teaches the students about the dangers of gun violence, and "Media Literacy," which helps the students differentiate between the reality of gun violence and its representation in movies, television, and video games. A Violent Probationer Enhanced Response (VIPER) list includes a photo and a summarized criminal history of an array of individuals in the community who have a violent criminal background. The list is widely distributed to law enforcement agencies as a tool to enhance awareness of potential violent offenders with whom they may come into contact. Important partnerships have been established and strengthened through these initiatives. In particular, an extraordinary partnership exists in this district between the U.S. Attorney's Office and the New Mexico National Guard. The National Guard's Counter Drug Support (CDS) Task Force has become a key contributor to the success of Weed and Seed in New Mexico. They have provided vital resources and moral support to our Weed and Seed communities. The National Guard has assigned liaison personnel to this office and to local Safe Havens. They have also detailed mentors and instructors to Weed and Seed site schools (middle and high schools) and they conduct our DEFY camps. Defined goals and measurable outcomes for our projects allow us to quantify the results of our efforts. What is less tangible yet quite evident in each Weed and Seed community in the District of New Mexico is the sense of rekindled hope for the future. Citizens affected by this strategy often comment that streets are safer, that government officials and social services are more responsive, and that they feel empowered through their participation in this comprehensive process. David C. Iglesias |
