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CBS News
16 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
National Guard troops deployed to crime-plagued Albuquerque are unarmed and not in military uniform
Albuquerque, New Mexico — Outside his motorcycle shop in Albuquerque, New Mexico, James Grice every day clears trash before he can open his doors to customers. "All around the building, it's just a daily thing," said Grice, owner of J&L Motorsports, who added that he also sometimes has to clear away unhoused people. "Yeah...I got someone sleeping right there right now." There are bullet holes in his shop's windows, and Grice and officers with the Albuquerque Police Department told CBS News they have a name for this part of the city, known as the Central Avenue Corridor: the "war zone." The Central Avenue Corridor has seen shootings, assaults and drug abuse, including fentanyl, which reached a level that drove Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina in late March to issue a memo asking New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for reinforcements. "As you may know, we have made significant progress in reducing shootings and aggravated assaults along Central Avenue Corridor through a comprehensive approach to public safety centered on proactive police activity," the memo read. "However, sustaining this momentum requires immediate reinforcement." According to a violent crime survey conducted by the Major Cities Chiefs Association, an organization representing police executives, the Albuquerque Police Department reported a drop in violent crime in recent months. It recorded 11 homicides in the first quarter of 2025, down from 21 in the same period in 2024. There were 48 rapes reported in the city in the first quarter of this year, down from 63 over the same period last year. The police department received 153 robbery reports, down from 232 robberies last year, and there were 895 aggravated assaults in the first quarter, down from 1,095 in the same period of 2024, the survey said. Grisham, a Democrat, responded to the memo by declaring a state of emergency in April and authorizing the deployment of about 70 New Mexico National Guard members to the city. The National Guard spent May in training and arrived on Albuquerque's streets on June 5. "I see drug dealing, drug use, prostitution," Grisham recently told CBS affiliate KRQE regarding the Central Avenue Corridor. "I worry about human trafficking. I see violence on the streets." Those Guard members have been training in crisis intervention and de-escalation. And unlike the California National Guard troops that were deployed by President Trump earlier this month in response to protests in Los Angeles, the Guard members deployed by Grisham in Albuquerque are not armed or in military uniform, according to city officials. "The intent of it all is to free Albuquerque police officers to be more available to the community, to answer calls for service, so that's in the capacity we'll be doing this," Maj. Gen. Miguel Aguilar, adjutant general for the New Mexico National Guard, said in briefing last month in Santa Fe. Aguilar also said that 53 of the 71 Guard members deployed are from the Albuquerque area. "We coach in the community, we work in the community, it's a little different when you talk about the national guard. I think it's important to understand that," Aguilar said. During two homicide calls and a SWAT activation this week in Albuquerque, the job of the Guard members was to secure a perimeter. That freed up police officers who would have done that job to go back on the streets and respond to other calls, according to Albuquerque police. "We need to stop playing games with crime," Det. Shaun Willoughby, president of the Albuquerque Police Officers Association, the department's union, told CBS News. Willoughby has his doubts about the effectiveness of the Guard's impact so far. He believes the violence is too fierce for unarmed Guard members to help with. "What are they going to do?" Willoughby asked. "They can't intervene. They don't have the authority to take anybody to jail. They're not armed. They're going to be in one of the most violent communities in this country, in a polo shirt, recognizing themselves as this helper, and they're limited onto what they can do." Civil liberty advocates are uneasy with any plan that increases policing. Still, Grice says the city needs all the help it can get. Grice said he has remained in Albuquerque because he needs to "make it work." "I've got to support my family," Grice said. "I've got employees to worry about." After CBS News finished speaking to Grice, it came across a crime scene in which Albuquerque police were investigating a possible homicide, just a block from the front door of Grice's business.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Yahoo
Car hits new Downtown Albuquerque barricades, city touts public safety investment
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The city of Albuquerque reports that its latest investment in public safety is paying off, as demonstrated by a recent incident involving one of its new L-shaped steel barricades. The city states that the barricade was put to the test after a driver hit it head-on during last night's first summer Art Walk of the season. 'We were thrilled. The barricades are doing their job. Had the driver kept going, he probably would have driven into pedestrians on Central, and that's exactly why we installed those barricades,' said Dan Mayfield with the city's Department of Municipal Development. The incident occurred around midnight near 4th and Central, when the driver struck the barricade in the middle of the road, moving the 750-pound barrier only three feet. City rolls out new barricades for downtown Albuquerque weekend nights The new barricades have been in place for about two weeks, and although they are brand new, the city is pleased with their effectiveness, stating that they are a valuable investment for downtown safety. 'It's fine. They just pulled the car out. Apparently, the engine is wrecked. They reset the barricade, and everything was good to go for the rest of the night,' said Mayfield. The city initially purchased drop-down barricades a year ago, but those proved ineffective in preventing drivers from going through. The city acquired 83 of the new barricades, which offer greater mobility and allow for easier movement. These barricades are placed every weekend from 3rd Street to 8th Street. KRQE reached out to the Albuquerque Police Department to inquire if the driver was charged, but is still waiting for a response. The city noted that while the driver's vehicle sustained severe damage, the barricade remained intact. They plan to use these barricades in more areas across the metro and are considering purchasing additional units in the future. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Traffic delays expected in Monett as resurfacing project begins
MONETT, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Transportation is warning Monett drivers to expect traffic delays on Central Avenue and Cleveland Avenue through the end of June. Traffic delays expected in Monett as resurfacing project begins Camp Barnabas reopens post-storm; campers thrilled to return Missouri man gets life in prison for 2023 stabbing death Governor Kehoe requests federal disaster aid for six Missouri counties Body of 14-year-old boy recovered from Table Rock Lake Crews will begin the $1.1 million resurfacing project on Monday. They'll be removing the current pavement and replacing it with a new surface, as well as adding permanent striping and rumble strips. Traffic will be reduced to one lane wherever crews are working, and MoDOT says drivers should wait for a pilot vehicle before entering the work zones. The first work zone is along Missouri Highway 37, Central Avenue south to US Route 60. Crews will work overnight, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., Sunday through Thursday, with all lanes open in the daytime. The second work zone is along Business 60, Cleveland Avenue, until its intersection with US 60. Work will be done during daylight hours, with all lanes open at night. MoDOT expects the project to be done by July 1. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
APD reports 933 total arrests in 2025 so far
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Albuquerque Police released the latest numbers from their efforts to clean up Central Avenue. 'Our data shows that Central Avenue is the place that we should be devoting resources,' says Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina. APD says they began a year ago focusing on the east side of Central, but recently, they have slowly been moving these special operations west. So far this year, they have made 933 arrests, 597 of those arrests were charged with felonies, clearing 352 felony warrants, and recovering 14 stolen firearms. Story continues below Food: Albuquerque shop makes 'Top 50 Donuts' list on Yelp Trending: New Mexico's largest electricity provider is raising its rate in 2025, 2026 Events: What's happening around New Mexico May 16-22: Boots In The Park and more News: Jemez Springs prepares for overhaul of sewage collection system after overflow spill Their report highlights vehicle search warrants that turned up two firearms, over 200 fentanyl pills, and 300 rounds of ammunition. City officials have been focusing on reducing crime along Central for the next year in preparation for the centennial celebration of Route 66. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Enormous sinkhole in Dunkirk is repaired
DUNKIRK, N.Y. (WIVB) — The unexpected happened in Dunkirk on Monday. Around noon, police received a call describing a scene where a cement truck almost fell through the road at the intersection of Central Avenue and Second Street due to a massive sinkhole. 'Any public works director across the country will say what you have to do is expect the unexpected,' said Randy Woodbury, Dunkirk department of public works chief. The city quickly went to work — before it ran into its first problem. 'We dug down and we found out that it was deeper than our equipment could go,' Woodbury said. 'We can only go about seven feet. Most of our waterlines are about 4 1/2 feet deep, so we have equipment that does that just fine.' The city then brought in a local contractor that had the equipment to get to the root of the issue. 'There was a brick, a handmade brick,' Woodbury said. 'A 140-year-old storm drain down there and it hadn't seen the light of day for 140 years. A couple of bricks fell out because one of our waterlines was leaking a little bit. The cement truck was it — that broke the storm sewer.' Woodbury said it is unclear just how much the repairs will end up costing the city. But Dunkirk has a budget of $100,000 for water main maintenance. 'It's going to take a chunk out of that,' Woodbury said. 'We've been lucky so far. We had a really tough winter with the freezing and thawing, freezing and thawing — that's what tears up roads, tears up waterlines.' As for preventative measures going forward, Woodbury said the city did just that a few years ago. In 2021, the city had a waterline break that caused a bit of commotion. After that, they put new valves on all of the waterlines. 'If we wouldn't have had those on Monday, it would have taken us longer to fix this pipe,' Woodbury said. Woodbury thanked his team and all of the first responders who assisted, saying that they are the reason that the road was only closed for two days and that things were able to get back to normal so quickly. Trina Catterson joined the News 4 team in 2024. She previously worked at WETM-TV in Elmira, a sister station of WIVB. See more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
