New Mexico asks for help from FBI in fighting violent crime

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) said on Wednesday that she has requested assistance from the FBI to fight violent crime in the state.

Lujan Grisham asked Attorney General Merrick Garland for additional FBI agents, after a similar move in Buffalo, N.Y., proved impactful in reducing homicide rates.

“Once these resources are allocated to New Mexico, I am confident the FBI and state law enforcement officers will achieve similar success as the Buffalo office,” Lujan Grisham said in a letter to Garland.

The New Mexico governor had previously requested similar assistance from the FBI in June. She pointed to a recent report from FBI Director Christopher Wray that a surge of agents and resources in Buffalo led to a 50 percent decrease in homicides.

“At this time, New Mexico’s law enforcement officers require the support and resources that only the federal government can provide,” Lujan Grisham said in her initial request to Wray.

New Mexico saw more than 10,000 violent crimes in 2021, including about 150 homicides, according to newly released data from the FBI.

The number of violent crimes nationwide remained largely consistent in 2021, with the number of murders growing at a slower pace than the year before. As violent crime surged amid the pandemic, there was a 30 percent increase in murders from 2019 to 2020. 

Lujan Grisham, who is up for reelection this year, strongly emphasized her previous commitments to public safety in Wednesday’s announcement. She is currently leading her Republican opponent, Mark Ronchetti, by 5 points in a recent poll from Emerson College and The Hill.