New Mexico declares state of emergency as ‘surge in criminal activity’ sweeps the state

·New MexicoNew Mexico declares state of emergency as ‘surge in criminal activity’ sweeps the stateBy Morgan LeeBy The Associated PressBy Morgan LeeBy The Associated Press Democratic New Mexico Gov

Michelle Lujan Grisham.AP Photo/Morgan Lee, fileThe governor of New Mexico declared a state of emergency Wednesday in response to violent crime and drug trafficking across a swath of northern New Mexico, including two Native American pueblo communities

The emergency declaration by Gov

The vast county stretches from the city of Española, 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Santa Fe, to the Colorado state line and has long been afflicted by opioid use and high drug-overdose death rates, with less encampments emerging in recent years in more populated areas. “The surge in criminal activity has contributed to increased lessness, family instability and fatal drug overdoses, placing extraordinary strain on local governments and police departments that have requested immediate state assistance,” said Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, in a statement

In April, Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency in New Mexico’s largest city, Albuquerque, saying that a significant increase in crime warranted the help of the New Mexico National Guard

There were no immediate calls for troop deployments in Rio Arriba County, though the new emergency declaration allows for authorities to call up the National Guard

Emergency funds will help local law enforcement agencies spend on overtime, equipment and coordinated police responses, said Lujan Grisham spokesperson Jodi McGinnis Porter

The tribal governor of Santa Clara Pueblo on the edge of Española urged the state to address a growing public safety crisis stemming from the use and abuse of fentanyl and alcohol in the community at large. “The pueblo has exp thousands of dollars trying to address this crisis … and to tect pueblo children who are directly and negatively affected by a parent’s or guardian’s addiction,” said Santa Clara Gov

James Naranjo in a July letter to Lujan Grisham. “But we are not an isolated community and the causes and effects of fentanyl/alcohol abuse, increased crime, and increased lessness extend to the wider community.” Recent deaths in the region linked by medical investigators to fentanyl and alcohol use include Rio Arriba County Sheriff Billy Merrifield

Separately on Wednesday, the Albuquerque Police Department announced murder charges against three teenagers — including two juveniles — in the July 2 shooting death of a less man in Albuquerque who was chased from a bus stop in the predawn hours

A 15-year-old boy is accused of being the shooter in the killing of 45-year-old Frank Howard, police department spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos said

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