In a continuation of their efforts to make downtown Albuquerque safer, federal and city law enforcement officials are partnering together to more aggressively target gun crimes.
The new enforcement plan will take advantage of six schools that are located in the downtown district between Lomas Blvd. and Coal Ave. and 12th Street and Broadway Blvd.
Under the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act, firearms are prohibited in school zones, including in or on the ground of a public, parochial or private school or within 1,000 feets of the grounds.
This creates a buffer zone around most of downtown due to the locations of these schools. Offenders who use guns to commit crimes Downtown could be charged federally if crimes occur within that 1,000 zone.
Police Chief Harold Medina said these federal laws will help keep more offenders off the streets, especially with state laws being less harsh for gun offenses.
“The problem with state law is they are very weak in a lot of areas and one of those areas that they’re weak is the fact that negligent use of a firearm is just a misdemeanor. But under this new system, we’ll be able to refer those penalties, this case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecution federally which has much stronger teeth than we do at the Albuquerque Police Department.”
Medina also said the department has increased the number of police patrols, active cameras and license plate readers downtown as well to assist with making this area of the city safer.
The city is also going to be handing out signs at the downtown safety center for people to post in windows letting individuals know they are in a school zone where federal firearms restrictions apply.
If a person is convicted of violating gun-free school zone laws, they could face up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $5,000.
But U.S District Attorney Alex Uballez is hopeful these enforcement efforts will help those contemplating committing a gun crime to reconsider.
“To those young men who are spiraling out of control who believe that a gun is power, I ask them to come back to us because you are not too far gone. Because we believe in you and I don’t want to see you in federal court because you are part of our community. You deserve to be safe, you deserve to live and you deserve to be free.”
The city is considering this enforcement effort a pilot program at the moment and will revisit the results at a later date.