Mayor Keller Outlines 2020 Legislative Priorities

December 2, 2019

Today, Mayor Tim Keller, City Councilor Cynthia Borrego, area state legislators, and the Albuquerque Police Department rolled out the City’s legislative priorities for the 2020 legislative session.

The top priorities laid out by the City make public safety the focus in next year’s legislative session, highlighting requests from $10 million for a statewide fund for violence intervention programs to $20 million for modernizing crime fighting technology.

“Violent crime is still Albuquerque’s biggest challenge—and New Mexico’s biggest challenge—even as we have made strides fighting other crimes like auto theft and robbery,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “We’re facing that reality with evidence-based violence reduction and tough on crime policing, and with the State’s help we can take another step towards making New Mexico’s largest metro area safer.”

The City of Albuquerque is asking the State to support evidence-based violence reduction initiatives by requesting $10 million for a statewide fund to improve public health and safety by supporting violence reduction programs in communities across New Mexico. Additionally, the City asks that $2 million of the $10 million be reserved for projects in the Albuquerque-area, including the recently announced Violence Intervention Program.

The breakdown of the $20 million ask to bring Albuquerque’s crime-fighting technology into the 21^st century includes:

• $13 million for CAD / Records Management System;
• $1.2 million for Video Management Software;
• $2.5 million for Crime Scene Response, including a new crime scene bus;
• $1.2 million to update the Laboratory Information Management System;
• $250,000 in upgrades to the Evidence Warehouse;
• $810,000 for Latent Fingerprint Section improvement;
• $320,000 for Automated License Plate Readers;
• $150,000 for Firearms & Toolmarks Technology;
• $370,000 to upgrade DNA equipment; and
• $100,000 for a ballistic water tank replacement.

Also among the top legislative priorities for the City are $14 million for a Gateway Center for Behavioral Health, $22 million to widen Paseo Del Norte from Calle Nortena to Rainbow Boulevard NW, and $1.5 for school safety crosswalk improvements.

Albuquerque is also requesting funding for community and cultural priorities, including a study on potential soccer or multi-sport stadium options, a museum of African American history, art, and culture in New Mexico and a museum to educate the public about the Holocaust and other genocides around the world.