N.M. Governor Signs Crime Bill with Bonuses to Recruit, Retain Police
By Daniel J. Chacón
Source The Santa Fe New Mexican
A sweeping crime package that includes recruitment and retention bonuses for police and stiffer penalties for felons who use guns became law with the stroke of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's pen Wednesday.
House Bill 68, signed by the governor on the last day to act on bills lawmakers passed during the 30-day session that ended last month, is part of a larger effort to combat violent crime in New Mexico — an issue that has exposed Lujan Grisham to criticism as she seeks reelection in November.
A news release issued by the Governor's Office after the bill signing proclaimed the bipartisan legislation "expands on [Lujan Grisham's] record of bolstering public safety investments."
"Every New Mexican deserves to feel safe in their communities — and they are demanding action from their government," Lujan Grisham said in a statement. "House Bill 68 expands upon the transformational work we've done in previous years, strengthening our state's public safety system and making streets safer in every New Mexico community."
Other provisions of the legislation include creating the crime of operating a chop shop; adding funding for round-the-clock GPS monitoring of defendants; eliminating the statute of limitations on second-degree murder charges; and enhancing death benefits for the families of officers killed in the line of duty to $1 million from $250,000, which the Governor's Office called the most generous in the nation.
The bill also ends the use of the "gay panic" defense in criminal cases. The legal defense is a strategy that asks a jury to find a victim's sexual orientation or gender identity or expression is to blame for a defendant's violent reaction, including murder.
Three new judges will be added in the 2nd, 5th and 13th judicial districts under the bill, which also establishes programs to recruit and retain law enforcement officers, "accompanied by $50 million in the budget to establish an officer recruitment fund," the Governor's Office said.
In addition, it expands sentencing for aggravated fleeing from a law enforcement officer resulting in injury and creates penalties for criminal violent threats.
"Crime must be the priority in every session until we have a system that works from top to bottom to protect New Mexico families," Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said in a statement. "This is a real first step forward, getting support to our officers and getting tougher on gun violence."
The legislation will help New Mexico's justice system "better address and reduce dangerous crime," Rep. Meredith Dixon, D- Albuquerque, one of the sponsors, said in a statement.
"Enhanced penalties, together with investments in addressing the underlying causes of crime, will help us make our communities safer both now and in the long term," she said.
Another sponsor who is also an Albuquerque Democrat, Rep. Marian Matthews, echoed the sentiment. "Our constituents demanded we respond to crime in our city and state and we heard them," she said in a statement.
Lujan Grisham pushed a tough-on-crime agenda during the session and made fighting crime one of her top legislative priorities.
The governor advocated changing the state's pretrial detention process for defendants suspected of certain violent crimes, but the effort failed to gain traction among lawmakers. The 24/7 GPS monitoring was considered an alternative to addressing calls for reform to the pretrial detention system.
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