Local law unhappy with State Police op

HOBBS, N.M. (KRQE) - Local law enforcement in Lea County expressed disappointment with an operation after State Police handed out hundreds of tickets there in just three days.

First, the residents started complaining, now the sheriff and the Hobbs police chief have blasted State Police for how they handled the blitz.

When 18 extra motorcycle patrol officers swarmed Lea County earlier this week, State Police said they were targeting areas that have seen a string of deadly crashes.

Those officers handed out 553 tickets in just three days , the majority of them for speeding. But residents were not thrilled with the crackdown, and local law criticized the operation, too, saying they were left in the dark.

"Had the State Police gotten ahold of us ahead of time, we would have been more than happy to help them and give them some guidance as to where our records were showing we were having fatalities in the county," Lea County Undersheriff, Jim Wilmeth explained.

They also said their departments were swamped with phone calls from concerned citizens, and they didn't know what to tell them.

"We had no answers for our citizens when they came to us asking questions, and it kind of put us in a tough spot," said Hobbs Police Deputy Chief Chris McCall.

In the Hobbs newspaper, the police chief said he didn't like the way State Police stormed in and harassed his citizens.  The sheriff apologized to the people of his County.

But State Police officials said they are not required to notify local police when they launch an operation.

"We strive to make a difference, and we work with agencies all over the state, and unfortunately in this situation someone was rubbed wrong and I get it," State Police Deputy Chief Pete Kassetas told KRQE News 13.  "But we'll continue to try to foster those relationships."

The crackdown was aimed at reducing fatalities and crashes in the long run, he added.

Hobbs police, however, said their statistics don't show the correlation between swift citation crackdowns and reducing crashes, which specific targeted attention over the long haul does.

"In 2008 we wrote 14,000 citations," McCall said. "We've since reduced that number to somewhere around 6,700 a year, and our accidents in that same time frame have dropped 200."

Still, State Police stand by their operation.

"Knowing that we are working traffic in an area will hopefully not only educate but provide a little bit more motivation for people to put their seat belts on and to abide by the laws," Kassetas said.

Each agency said they are willing to work together on future operations. Wilmeth noted his agency works well with State Police officers stationed in Lea County on a daily basis and would like to continue a positive working environment.

"We're all in this together," Kassetas said.  "There's enough work to go around for law enforcement in the state of New Mexico, unfortunately."

Kassetas said the focus of their operation was outside the city limits although some enforcement did take place in Hobbs. He said they will continue their efforts in the southeast as well as conduct special operations in other counties.