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Story from Valencia County News-Bulletin archives, February 10, 2001
Statistics from area law enforcement agencies indicate officers responded to, investigated and made reports overall on 6 percent fewer crimes in 2000 than in 1999. Eight of the most visible crimes police respond to ˜ and those that most impact communities ˜ include larceny, assault, burglary, DWI, auto theft, robbery, rape and homicide. The Valencia County Sheriff's Department along with the Belen, Bosque Farms and Los Lunas police departments have witnessed declines in some crimes and increases in others. One of the most dramatic increases in criminal activities over the last year is the number of DWI cases. Last year, the sheriff's department handled 256 DWI cases compared to only 52 in 1999 š a 392 percent increase. Los Lunas saw an increase of 6 percent in DWI with 125 cases last year compared to 118 the year before. Belen also increased its numbers by 43 percent, citing 73 people for drinking while driving in 2000 compared to 51 the year before. The only decrease in DWI citations was reported in Bosque Farms, where they declined 19 percent. Last year, officers there handed out 98 DWI citations compared to the 121 in 1999. "I think the reason for the increase of DWIs in the county is the increase of manpower we have at the department," said Sheriff Juan Julian. "We do checkpoints and saturation patrols on a regular basis and it's really helping a lot." Belen Police Chief Paul Skotchdopole said the numbers do not reflect that more people are drinking and driving š it's that more people are getting caught. "There is more overtime and more police officers out there to detect the crime," Skotchdopole said. "We had increased funding this year for saturation patrols and checkpoints and we're looking for another increase next year." Although the number of DWIs in Bosque Farms have decreased in 2000, Chief Julian Cordova said his officers are doing a very good job of enforcing the DWI laws in the village. "We had the highest number of DWIs (per capita) in the state in terms of apprehension last year," Cordova said. "Our officers are constantly on the lookout for people who are drinking and driving." The number of homicides was also up in Valencia County last year compared to 1999. For several years, the Belen Police Department hadn't investigated any murders ˜ bit last year they had two. The first murder in Belen was in July when an employee of the Freeway Inn found a man dead in a motel room. After an autopsy was completed, the Office of the Medical Investigator ruled it a homicide. During the initial investigation, police had thought Allen Phelps had died of a drug overdose but an autopsy revealed he had been shot in the back of the head with a small-caliber weapon. The second murder occurred in September when two or more men reportedly broke into a house on San Lorenzo and shot and killed 19-year-old Filipe Giron while he was asleep in bed. Scotchdopole said officers in the Phelps case have come to a dead-end. "The detectives have followed all the leads that we've been able to follow and that has gone into the inactive file," he said. As for Giron's murder, the police chief said detectives are actively investigating the case. "We have suspects in that case and are probably hoping to have some leads here in the very near future," Scotchdopole said. "We're looking at maybe two arrest warrants in that case and we're close to solving it." The only other department in the county which has handled homicide cases in 2000 is the sheriff's department. In 1999, there were six homicides in the unincorporated areas of the county compared to nine last year š a 33 percent increase. Sheriff Juan Julian said most of the homicides have been solved and defendants are in jail awaiting trial. "We've had good results with the homicide cases," he said. The number of assaults have also increased in every department in the county. The sheriff's department saw a 35 percent increase last year while assaults in Bosque Farms rose by 29 percent. Belen had a 22 percent increase in assaults in 2000 compared to the year before and Los Lunas saw its assault numbers rise by 27 percent. "Assaults has a lot do with domestic violence," said Los Lunas Police Chief Nick Balido. "We're seeing it a lot more here. More people are starting to report it because it's not a simple thing any more ˜ it's so much more serious than people think." Cordova said assault crimes aren't something that police can really prevent but that some of the reasons that can contribute to assaults include road rage, the weather and domestic violence. Another crime that can't be prevented by police is rape. In all but one agency the number of rapes decreased last year. In 1999, Belen handled 16 rape cases compared to seven last year š a 56 percent decrease. Los Lunas saw a 75 percent decrease in rapes last year with three compared to 12 the year before. The sheriff's department investigated 21 rapes last year compared to 20 in 1999 ˜ a 5 percent increase. Bosque Farms didn't handle any rape cases in either years. According to the numbers provided by each department, the number of robberies has decreased in only one area while the increasing elsewhere. The Belen Police Department saw a slight increase of 5 percent, handling 20 robberies last year compared to 19 the year before. Bosque Farms also increased its numbers by 100 percent with four last year and two the year before. The sheriff's department saw a 50 percent increase in robberies with 12 in 2000 compared to eight the year before. Los Lunas was the only department which saw a decrease in robberies. Last year, it handled 10 robberies compared to 13 in 1999 š a 23 percent decline. "I consider the drop in robberies due to more patrolling and more officers around," Balido said. "More officers are out on the street, patrolling neighborhoods and getting to know the businesses in the village." Property crimes which include burglary, larceny and auto theft have decreased throughout the entire county. Burglaries decreased by 19 percent in Los Lunas and by 4 percent in Belen. Bosque Farms saw a 22 percent decline in burglaries while the sheriff's department reported 9 percent fewer last year. "These are somewhat preventable because you can actually target those areas where you're having problems," Scotchdopole said. "We did some special operations this year to catch some of these burglars and we've caught a few of them. "When you're putting some people away and you have a high arrest rate and a high conviction rate, you're going to drop your crime rate," he said. The number of larcenies (which includes shoplifting cases) also went down for the majority of the county. The only law enforcement agency that saw an increase was Los Lunas. That department handled 407 cases in 2000 compared to 365 the year before š an 11 percent increase. Belen saw a 22 percent decrease in larcenies with 459 last year and 588 in 1999. The number of larcenies was cut by 17 percent in Bosque Farms with 53 in 2000 and 64 the year before. The sheriff's department saw 9 percent less larcenies in the county last year with 434 and 477 in 1999. Julian credits not only his deputies for the decrease in larcenies but also the community. "The community has worked with us in helping reduce the number of property crimes in the county," Julian said. "We've had a lot of requests from the community to work with them in Neighborhood Watch and we've assisted them on how to set them up." Auto theft was also in decline last year. The largest drop was seen in the county by the sheriff's department š a 75 percent with only 104 last year reports compared to 477 auto thefts the year before. Bosque Farms had 10 fewer auto thefts in 2000 compared to the year before š a 63 percent decrease. Los Lunas's auto thefts were cut by 6 percent with 66 reported stolen vehicles last year compared to 70 the year before. Belen saw a 28 percent decrease in 2000 with 73 stolen vehicles compared to 101 in 1999. Statistics provided by the district attorney's office in Valencia County indicate it handled only a few more cases last year than in 1999. The Valencia County district attorney's offices handled 104 drug-related cases last year compared to the 101 the year before. Prosecutors in Valencia County also dealt with 8 percent more felony cases last year. The number of juvenile cases were down by 17 percent and probation revocations decreased 7 percent last year compared to the year before. Prosecutors also handled 5 percent fewer DWI cases and 14 percent fewer civil cases in 2000 than in 1999. The number of domestic violence cases stayed the same at 66. District Attorney Lemuel Martinez said he is working on getting the state legislature to appropriate funds to hire another assistant district attorney in Valencia County to handle all the DWI and domestic violence cases. Currently, police officers their own misdemeanor, DWI and domestic violence cases in the county. Skotchdopole said the statistics show that police officers are doing their job and that he was surprised that crime in Belen is declining as rapidly as it is. "When you see an increase in police officers, your crime rates should increase for a little while and then you'll see them plateau," he said. "Then that's when you'll see them drop off." Belen currently has all of its 20 sworn positions filled. Julian said he also thinks that the number of deputies on the force has contributed to the decline in crime in the county. "I think the reason is because I've increased my man power," Julian said. "When I first took office I only had 21 officers on staff. Now I have about 39." Balido wanted to commend the community with their assistance to the police department for the decreased crime in the village. "The community has helped by having good communications with the police department," he said. "More people are talking to us and when you're working in the community they know who we are. They get tired of not saying anything and that helps us. They want their neighborhoods safe." Cordova agreed with Balido, saying the community is key when crime hits the area. He said Bosque Farms is a close knit community. "I think the statistics show that we are moving in the right direction," Cordova said. "Next year, with our community policing and strong enforcement, the numbers will surely be down."
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