Editor,
Once again, when faced with criminal acts on campus, UNM points to its “urban environment” as the culprit. Granted, universities in urban areas may have higher crime rates on average due to higher population density, but I think it’s time for the community and the University to stop pointing fingers and start working together to reduce crime in the campus area. A good place to start would be asking the state of New Mexico to relocate its probation office at 3010 Monte Vista Blvd. N.E. This office is located one block from UNM’s student housing on main campus. It serves between 3,000 and 5,000 nonviolent felons whose crimes include robbery, burglary, vehicle theft and alcohol or drug violations.
While a majority of all the people on probation are one-time offenders, repeat offenders commit the majority of crimes in urban environments and have become a growing problem for police authorities. For example, if every repeat offender who reports to the Monte Vista probation office committed one crime per year in the campus area, that number would account for the majority of property crimes committed in our community. It is estimated that a third of all college students become victims of crime, mainly theft and burglary. The annual influx of new students on college campuses — with the requisite laptop, mobile or smartphone, television, digital camera, mp3 player, bike or car — become easy targets as most students are blissfully unaware of crime in our urban environment until they fall prey to it. It makes no sense whatsoever for our state officials to locate a probation office in a retail district within one block of its flagship university and a residential neighborhood. The lease for the probation office on Monte Vista expires and is up for renewal in 2014. Now is the time for us to come together and do something about the most prevalent type of crime in our urban environment.
Every campus-area community member and organization can write a letter to the governor and other state officials requesting this state probation office be moved to a more appropriate location in the city. It costs nothing to send this message, and the result could have a major impact on crime in our community. Please send your letters today to: Jose N. Cordova, director of Probation and Parole Division: Jose.Cordova@state.nm.us Sheryl Stapleton, state representative: sheryl.stapleton@nmlegis.gov Gail Chasey, state representative: gail@gailchasey.com Cisco McSorley, state senator: cisco.mcsorley@nmlegis.gov Gov. Susana Martinez: governor.state.nm.us/Contact_the_Governor.aspx
Susan Michie
Daily Lobo reader
