Pubdate: Sun, 17 Jul 2005
Source: Carlsbad Current-Argus (NM)
Copyright: 2005 Carlsbad Current-Argus
Contact:  http://www.currentargus.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2549
Author: Jeff Keller, Current-Argus Staff Writer

STATISTICS: DRUG, ALCOHOL ARRESTS UP

CARLSBAD -- Arrest records for 2003 and 2004 from the Carlsbad Police 
and Eddy County Sheriff's departments and the Carlsbad office of the 
New Mexico State Police show increases in arrests for driving under 
the influence and drug-related incidents.

The state police and sheriff's department showed increases in DWI 
arrests. The state police had 92 DWI arrests in 2003 and 97 in 2004. 
The sheriff's department saw an increase of 32 DWI arrests, from 44 
in 2003 to 76 in 2004. The police department saw a slight decrease in 
DWI arrests from 115 in 2003 to 107 in 2004.

The sheriff's and police departments saw drastic increases in 
drug-related arrests between 2003 and 2004. The police department 
almost doubled its total of 154 drug-related arrests in 2003, making 
302 arrests in 2004. The sheriff's department had 70 arrests for 
drug-related crimes in 2003, but made 123 drug-related arrests in 2004.

Lt. Joey Gonzalez of the Carlsbad Police Department said the increase 
in drug-related arrests comes from an aggressive approach the 
department has taken toward illegal drugs.

"We have a zero-tolerance policy and we have been getting more 
aggressive with the mayor's anti-drug/gang task force," Gonzalez 
said. "In incorporating those things, we have put more emphasis in 
the arrests for the drug-related offenses. By creating our 'rat 
pack,' which was an initiative from the mayor's anti-drug/gang task 
force -- that netted a lot of arrests."

Arrests for other crimes saw minor increases or decreases for the 
sheriff's and police departments between 2003 and 2004.

For example, larceny -- except for motor vehicles -- rose from 106 
arrests for the police in 2003 to 123 in 2004, but burglary or 
breaking-and-entering arrests for the police fell from 45 in 2003 to 
32 in 2004.

Gonzalez said it is difficult to tell how larceny numbers will 
fluctuate from year to year.

"It is really hard to track a pattern of larcenies," he said. "You 
will have them sometimes and then sometimes you won't have them. They 
go up and they go down. Larcenies and burglaries are all related to 
drugs and getting a quick fix. If there are a lot of narcotics in 
town, we know it because there are a lot of burglaries and larcenies going on."

Capt. Eddie Carrasco of the sheriff's department said no matter which 
crime category is high or low throughout the years, law enforcement 
officers are there to arrest criminals for any crimes.

"You are always going to have violators, you are always going to have 
criminals," Carrasco said. "One year you might see an increase in 
drug arrests and DUI but the next year you might see less. The 
increase is not because they (deputies) are trying to see how many 
they can catch. The increase is because the violators are there. The 
officers are just as focused as they were the previous year."

By The Numbers

All arrests listed are for offenders 18 years or older

Statistics were provided by the New Mexico State Police, Carlsbad 
Police Department and Eddy County Sheriff's Department.

Note: Eddy County Sheriff's Department statistics are arrest record 
charges while Carlsbad Police Department stats also include those 
released without having been formally charged.

New Mexico State Police

2003

- -- Total DWI arrests- 92

- -- Total narcotics arrests- 52

2004

- -- Total DWI arrests- 97

- -- Total narcotics arrests- 27

Carlsbad Police Department

2003

Murder: 1

Forcible rape: 2

Robbery: 7

Aggravated assault: 33

Burglary or breaking and entering: 45

Larceny theft (except motor vehicle): 106

Motor vehicle theft: 10

Drug-related crimes: 154

DUI: 115

2004

Murder: 0

Forcible rape: 5

Robbery: 9

Aggravated assault: 49

Burglary or breaking and entering: 32

Larceny theft (except motor vehicle): 123

Motor vehicle theft: 6

Drug-related crimes: 302

DUI: 107

Eddy County Sheriff's Department

2003

Murder:

Forcible rape: 1

Robbery: 0

Aggravated assault: 7

Burglary or breaking and entering: 9

Larceny theft (except motor vehicle): 5

Motor vehicle theft: 2

Drug-related crimes: 70

DUI: 44

2004

Murder: 0

Forcible rape: 1

Robbery: 2

Aggravated assault: 10

Burglary or breaking and entering: 11

Larceny theft (except motor vehicle): 5

Motor vehicle theft: 3

Drug-related crimes: 123

DUI: 76
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MAP posted-by: Beth