Las Cruces police, local artist create art piece using rocks to show ‘LCPD Cares’

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- The Las Cruces Police Department and other volunteers came together Wednesday morning to create a piece of artwork using rocks to show how much "LCPD Cares."

The project was a partnership between LCPD and local rock artist Kathy Murrow.

LCPD Community Outreach Officer Alex Rodriguez said he reached out to Murrow via Facebook to help the department create a permanent mural outside the East Mesa Public Safety.

“Our cadets and our academy staff here actually built a memorial and the community starting adapting to that they started bringing flags, started bringing flowers," Rodriguez said. "So that’s how I saw this hill, being a memorial thats being bonded between the community and the police department."

Nearly 20 volunteers from different organizations carried and moved several tons of rocks that were all donated to create the piece.

“The message at the bottom really says it all, 'LCPS Cares," said artist Kathy Murrow. The piece shows two hands hold up three crosses and three stars to represent the City of Las Cruces.

“I had done cut outs of cardboards of the element of the design so I would lay the cardboard down on the surface and all they had to do was rock around it lift the cardboard out and rock the inside," Murrow said.

“This is going to make a constant reminder for those that drive through this road that we do care, and this is our constant reminder that we’re here for them," Rodriguez said.