‘Unbelievably violent month’: Las Cruces police chief paints grim crime picture

Speaking before city councilors on Monday, the Las Cruces police chief painted a grim picture of violent crime in the city.

“June was an unbelievably violent month in Las Cruces, in terms of homicides,” Chief Patrick Gallagher told the public. “Five homicides in one month.”

Thankfully, all five suspects in the June homicides have been arrested, Gallagher said. Drugs were involved in most of the cases, he said.

In the audience was numerous law enforcement officers, representing agencies that include the Las Cruces Police Department, the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office, the Las Cruces Fire Department, The Doa Ana County Sheriff’s Office and Metro Narcotics.

“The folks behind me have 100 years of experience probably, in Las Cruces,” Gallagher said. “They’ve never seen anything like it before.”

Crime was down 8 percent from 2018 to 2019, Gallagher said. Property crime decreased 12 percent and violent crime increased 34 percent.

If you compare this point of the year to this time in 2018, Chief Gallagher said have been:

2 more homicides 3 more robberies 22 more reported rapes 35 more aggravated assaults