As county citizens become more concerned with the rising crime rate in Bernalillo County, BCSO Sheriff Manny Gonzales joined KOB4 live in studio to discuss the trends that have surfaced. Specifically, Gonzales said that lack of accountability is one glaring issue in the county.
One particular area of concern for the county is repeat offenders, specifically those that were released pending trial and who many times went on to commit another offense while out. According to KOB4, the DA's office found that out of 4,600 pretrial detention motions filed between 2017 and 2021, exactly half of those were denied and those people were released pending trial. More than 300 of those went on to commit another crime while out and awaiting trial.
"This type of catch and release, and or no accountability for criminals is kind of emboldening them, leading them to these types of incidents," Gonzales said.
Sheriff Manny Gonzales
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Gonzales says that he talks to his deputies on a daily basis and another trend that he is noticing is that his officers are meeting more resistance on the job. He said that people are more willing to resist arrest and even commit violence against the deputies. This is concerning for Gonzales and the rest of the department as they try to police the county safely.
As crime rates in the county rise, Gonzales is tasked with finding ways to address the issues with the resources that he has at hand. However, the BCSO Police Department is working with an advantage that many departments around the country do not have—adequate staffing. While hundreds of departments across the country encounter staffing shortages, Bernalillo is fully staffed.
With years of experience and adequate staffing, Gonzales said he feels ready to tackle the challenges that lie ahead.