City equips old town with more technology to fight crime

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Albuquerque City Council is turning to technology it believes can help reduce crime in Old Town.

Earlier on Tuesday, police had vandalized several shops and apparently even set one on fire. This was just the tip of the iceberg in an area that has already seen a number of crimes.

The next time you visit the Old Town, the situation may look a little different. In the hope of reducing crime, mobile camera units, foot patrols, license plate readers, radar devices and a gunshot detection system have been installed.

“We try to take a layered approach to law enforcement in our city because we know it doesn't always take a police officer with a badge and a gun,” said Mayor Tim Keller.

Keller says his office has worked with Albuquerque Police, Metro Security, Urban Development and community residents to bring more crime-fighting technology to Old Town.

“We'll help pay for that. We'll work with you to make sure you get that. That's also a massive deterrent. People find out where the cameras work, but they don't go, so why not put them in Old Town?” Keller said.

Mobile camera units have been deployed, but how many will remain permanently in the old town is currently being examined, says APD chief Harold Medina.

“We're going to do an evaluation to see how our first round of cameras work, and that will more or less allow us to determine how many cameras need to be installed in the area,” Medina said. “I promise you that these two video trailers will stay here until we have permanent cameras installed.”

Business owner Pete Kassetas says he's glad the city is acknowledging the problems it faces.

“I think it took a lot of pressure from the Old Town merchant community. But if that's what it takes, then that's what it takes,” said Pete Kassetas, owner of Outpost 1706.

While he hopes this will help, Kassetas believes more is needed than the work APD and the city are doing.

“The courts need to step in. We need to figure out what to do and the legislature needs to help us do that. The people who belong there need to stay in jail. The guy who broke into our bar had already been arrested 21 times. That doesn't make sense to me. I understand a second chance, but not a 21st,” Kassetas said.

These efforts will also be expanded to other hotspots in the metropolis, such as BioPark, Sawmill District, Nob Hill and Jerry Cline Park.