WINNERS
Santa Fe police
It's official: The city is getting 15 more officers. The Santa Fe City Council unanimously approved its budget last week, guaranteeing the city some new cops. "We had 24 vacancies 1½ years ago, and we expect those to be filled by the end of this month," Mayor David Coss says. "We are trying to get a combination of new cadets and lateral transfers. That means we steal them from the Sheriff's Office or Albuquerque or Hobbs."
Red light cameras
Santa Fe just got one step closer to the revered (or reviled, depending on whom you ask) red light cameras. On May 22, the Business and Quality of Life Committee endorsed a proposal to install cameras at some of Santa Fe's most notorious intersections-mainly, the ones that involve Cerrillos Road. The ordinance still needs to pass through a few more committees, so there's plenty of room for debate. Still unknown is who the vendor will be, how much fines will cost and where the profits will actually go. Mayor Coss supports the plan, noting that he would like to see a portion of the city's profits go toward paying new police recruits.
Bike cops
The city just ordered bikes for the police and soon there will be six more officers dedicated solely to bike patrol. What's that mean for the city? Three things: 1. Cops will be better equipped to nab on-foot suspects; 2. Santa Fe is upping its enviro-friendliness and gaining karma points; and 3. Six more officers will have the chance to empathize with bicyclists who risk life and limb daily while trying to avoid the myriad detours and obstructions due to all the construction on city roads.
LOSERS
Native Americans
The US Department of Justice released a 10-year study last week detailing a high rate of violent crimes among Native Americans. Compared to the rest of the country's racial and ethnic groups, the rate of violence among American Indians is more than twice the national average. New Mexico ranks high on the list, with more violent crime investigations than just about any other state. Zuni Pueblo has been especially hit hard, with 25 percent of respondents to a DOJ survey admitting they had been assault victims.
Santa Fe's homicide rate
Santa Feans heard about the city's first homicide of the year last week, when Scott Lloyd's body was discovered in an alley across from Kaune Elementary School. The 25-year-old Pennsylvanian moved to town two months ago to work as a computer programmer. He had just lost the job for which he moved to Santa Fe, and was planning on moving to Colorado Springs.
Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office
Calling all Karls: Someone stole a cop car last week and the Sheriff's Office is still looking for the suspect. Last Wednesday, Darlene Moya called the State Police from Chimayo, saying a drunk guy in plainclothes named "Karl" was pulling people over in a sheriff's vehicle. State Police called the Sheriff's Department to tell them one of their cars was missing and, according to Capt. Robert Riggs, "We did the checking and found out it was one of our decommissioned units that was due to be stripped of equipment and sold at auction." The car, which was stolen after thieves used a Public Works vehicle as a battering ram on the lot's gate, was found on Highway 94 near Chimayo.