Four reasons New Mexico is so dangerous
As a career prosecutor, I have a deep understanding not only of how our criminal statutes work, but also of the personal toll crime takes on families. For years, I have witnessed the devastation caused when loved ones are lost to violent crime. That loss, and the pain left behind, is what drove me to run for office. Simply put, I know what needs to change in our laws to prevent more people from becoming victims.
This year, however, it has become increasingly clear why New Mexico remains so dangerous. What follows may sound like “insider baseball,” but it is critical to understanding the problem.
The Legislature, dominated by progressive lawmakers, controls who serves on each committee. Bills dealing with public safety and crime are almost always referred to the Consumer and Public Affairs Committee, or CPAC. That committee is made up of four Democrats and two Republicans. CPAC is where good public safety bills go to die.
Why? Because the four Democrats who serve on that committee are fundamentally opposed to keeping dangerous individuals off our streets. Their focus is not on protecting victims or preventing crime, but on theories about why people commit crimes, second chances, and the so-called “prison industrial complex,” rather than on what lawmakers can do right now to keep communities safe. It is no exaggeration to say that CPAC is a major reason New Mexico is so dangerous.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe in rehabilitation and addressing root causes. But as a prosecutor, I understand that the other side of that coin is accountability. Both are necessary. Unfortunately, the progressive women who control CPAC do not share that view.
As a result, bills that strengthen penalties, close revolving-door loopholes, and promote accountability are routinely tabled. They are denied a hearing in a second committee. They never reach the House or Senate floor for debate. Time and again, four progressive lawmakers on CPAC shut them down.
These four legislators are single handedly making decisions for two million residents. They do not care what polling says, nor do they seem to care when they hear the same devastating stories that I have heard for years as a prosecutor. Four people whose values on public safety simply do not align with the majority of this state, yet hold complete control.
During the last interim, House and Senate Republicans convened two public safety task force meetings, one in Albuquerque focused on crime, and another in Las Cruces addressing juvenile violent crime. At both meetings, we heard from fellow lawmakers, district attorneys, the Governor’s Office, victim advocates, educators, and others.
The message was clear: New Mexico must do more to keep people safe. These meetings didn’t just bring communities together across party lines; they produced common-sense legislation that should have broad support. Yet none of that work matters to the progressives who control CPAC.
The CPAC problem is real. Radical ideologies on public safety are blocking meaningful reform; reforms that would protect you and your family. That will not change until the public demands accountability. New Mexicans already know we have a crime problem. Now you know why.
State Rep. Andrea Reeb of Clovis represents New Mexico House District 64, which comprises Chaves, Curry, and Roosevelt Counties since 2023.