New Mexico lawmakers, law enforcement to discuss escalating juvenile crime

New Mexico republican legislators are hosting a public legislative taskforce focused on juvenile crime and the public is invited to share input and listen to the discussion.

Las Cruces Police Chief Jeremy Story says juvenile crime expands from misdemeanors, burglary to homicide and first-degree murder.

"It's shattered lives to shattered countless families on both ends of that incident," said Chief Story. "And that's just one, one tragedy we had. There's so many others that have occurred." 

Earlier this year, one adult and three teenagers were charged with first-degree murder in the Young Park Mass Shooting in March.

State Representative Nicole Chavez of Albuquerque will be attending the taskforce as she also lost her son to gun violence, and continues to push for change.

"Their behavior becomes more and more violent and they end up taking a life, and my son was too precious, and I love him far too much to just let him, die with with not changing anything," says Rep. Chavez.

Her son was murdered at 17 years old, shot in the lung during a fight at a house party, just before he was about to enter the Air Force Academy.

Chavez believes convicted juveniles need to spend more time behind bars with a longer sentencing and face accountability and rehabilitate before they get released and commit the same crime or worse.

She says the solution is educating those on the wrong side of the law, and found that out by speaking to one of her son's murderers.

"If they're not in there long enough, and if they're not seeing that, how are we ever going to get them out of that cycle?" Chavez explains.

Chief Story says he's seen children as young as 12 years old commit violent crimes involving guns, and believes parents need to step up and be involved in their children's lives as many have just one or no parents — some even have criminal parents. 

The chief says when teens look up to each other as parental figures. 

"A 14-year-old is looking to a 16-year-old as a father figure and that's just a recipe for disaster," he says. "What we're doing is not working, it's not about locking up kids for life. It's about the goal is to stop them from committing crimes in the first place."

Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe, and New Mexico Department of Public Safety Cabinet Secretary Jason Bowie, as well as state prosecutors and victims of juvenile crime will be attending as well.

The taskforce runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Las Cruces Public Schools Board Room on 505 S. Main Street, Suite 249, Las Cruces, NM.

The forum is open to anyone to speak without any time limits.