OpenCampaign

Public Safety

Crime and public safety funding

Polls show crime among top voter concerns and about half of likely primary voters feel less safe than a year ago. The governor’s agenda and budget include public-safety pay raises for law enforcement and fire crews, juvenile justice funding amid more youth detention, mental health crisis response, and workforce growth for public safety.

What should New Mexico prioritize to address crime and public safety?

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Sources

Emerson Polling — https://emersoncollegepolling.com/new-mexico-2026-poll
Healthcare and the economy are the top issues for New Mexico likely primary voters, at 23% respectively, followed by crime (17%)... One in two likely voters (50%) say they feel less safe today than they did one year ago
Governor’s office / Source New Mexico — https://sourcenm.com/2025/12/22/nm-governors-office-proposes-11-3-billion-state-budget-and-increased-spending
It also includes a recommendation to spend $13.5 million on public safety pay raises that would apply to law enforcement personnel and fire response hotshot crews. The governor’s office previously confirmed to Source NM that public safety will be on her legislative agenda in January.
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham — https://www.governor.state.nm.us/2026/01/20/governor-delivers-2026-state-of-the-state-address
We need to get crime under control... Public safety: Juvenile justice reform to address severe teen crimes... Governor Lujan Grisham and the legislature improved public safety through mental health crisis response, supporting law enforcement, and growing the public safety workforce
Positions on this issue  ·  liberal → conservative
  1. Emphasize mental health crisis response, prevention, and juvenile reform over punishment alone
  2. Combine more officers and pay raises with mental health and youth diversion programs
  3. Balance enforcement staffing with targeted community and rehabilitation investments
  4. Focus mainly on hiring, pay raises, and tougher responses to violent and teen crime
  5. Prioritize strict enforcement, longer detention, and expanded police capacity above social programs