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- By Native News Online Staff
Native Vote. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland (Laguna Puebloe) hosted a roundtable with police chiefs, lieutenants, marshals and sheriffs from across southern New Mexico to discuss public safety concerns, including staffing shortages, drug trafficking and juvenile crime.
Haaland said New Mexicans do not feel safe and called for changes to address crime statewide. During the meeting, law enforcement officials briefed her on challenges facing their departments, including limited resources, repeat offenders and the impact of illegal drugs.
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Haaland outlined proposed solutions that include expanding technology to track drug traffickers, increasing law enforcement pay and benefits to improve recruitment and retention, and adding mental health and rehabilitation centers.
“New Mexicans are tired of illegal drugs, kids having access to guns when they shouldn’t, and being victims to property and violent crime,” Haaland said. “We need to make sure our police departments have the resources they need and that we address the root causes of crime by making sure addiction recovery and mental health programs are funded and that kids stay in school with productive care after school too.”
She also thanked officers for their service and participation in the discussion.
“I deeply respect the officers who day in and day out serve their communities doing one of the toughest jobs there is, and I’m grateful for their willingness to share their concerns and ideas,” Haaland said. “It was important to me that southern New Mexicans have a seat at the table in this conversation. Together, we are coming up with real solutions that will make us safer.”
Haaland said she is developing a public safety plan in coordination with law enforcement that focuses on removing violent criminals and illegal drugs from communities while addressing underlying causes of crime.
As U.S. secretary of the Interior, Haaland oversaw thousands of law enforcement officers nationwide, including the National Park Service Police and the Bureau of Land Management’s Office of Law Enforcement. Her campaign says she has managed more police officers than any other candidate in the race.
Haaland has also worked with the Indian Health Service (IHS) to support mental health services in high schools serving Native students and, while in Congress, secured $9.4 million for New Mexico communities to combat the opioid crisis and expand addiction services.
On the campaign trail, Haaland has visited all 33 New Mexico counties. At a fentanyl awareness event in Española, she stood with families affected by addiction and pledged to invest in recovery services, family support programs and tools for law enforcement to reduce the flow of illegal drugs in the state.
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