SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – State district attorneys say they need more help inside the courtroom to affect the crime surge New Mexico is experiencing.
At a Legislative Finance Committee meeting Thursday, the DAs asked the legislature for more funding and more incentives to help keep attorneys in their districts. Attorneys say it’s a continuous process of people coming in and moving on to private practices where they make more money.
They say the proposed solutions are short-term, but necessary to tackle crime.
“What we can do short term, unfortunately short, is just we need to ask you for more money; we need to expand, we need to build…but we’ve got to get there.”
Attorneys say possible solutions include loan repayments, tax breaks, and fellowship programs for university students.