Cops corral property-crime suspects

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Albuquerque's mayor is taking a stand against the city’s top criminals and he is asking the community to become more aware of who and what is lingering in their neighborhood.

Eight of 10 crimes in Albuquerque are property crimes, according to the Albuquerque Police Department. Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry said that statistic is the reason his main focus is to get property-crime offenders off the street.

On Saturday the mayor asked hundreds of shoppers inside a crowded mall to help the police department find and lock-up the city’s most invasive criminals.

Getting the community involved seems to be working. For weeks now police mug shots have been plastered on billboards and printed in newspapers.

So far, Albuquerque police have arrested 35 people they list as being among the city's top property-crime offenders.

Berry said it’s been a tough task but gradually the most notorious offenders are getting pulled off the streets.

“Criminals work around the clock and so are we know with our detectives,” Berry said
APD recently formed a night detective squad to track down crooks in action. They started this week.

“The very first night that our night detectives were out they caught one of our Top 5 property crime offenders,” Berry said.

Police said 10 more property crime offenders were arrested just in the past 72 hours.