Four reasons New Mexico is so dangerous

The Piñon Post ^ | February 9, 2026 | Andrea Reeb

[CedarDave]

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.

[CedarDave]

Opinion piece by a Pub NM legislator detailing what damage far-left Dem representatives can do when they control the committee process.

[CedarDave]

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[CedarDave]

Let’s name names –

NM House CPAC: Representatives:

• Joanne J Ferrary (D) District 37 – Chair
• Angelico Rubio (D) District 35 – Vice Chair
• Andrea Romero (D) District 46 – Member
• Elizabeth “Liz” Thompson (D) District 24 – Member
• Stefani Lord (R) District 22 – Ranking Member
• John Block (R) District 51 – Member

[Olog-hai]

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. …

When I saw “CPAC”, at first wondered what the Conservative Political Action Committee had to do with this.

So after reading this, it appears that New Mexico’s CPAC is actually an unconstitutional politburo.

At some point, Trump is going to have to assert the Guarantee Clause and get rid of all these non-republican governmental cliques at state level.

[darth]

I retired to a remote mountain area in New Mexico.

Twice I have encountered meth labs operating fairly openly

I think that politicians, law enforcement, and the media are quite aware of what is going on.

I tell anyone thinking of moving here to first binge watch all seasons of Breaking Bad.

[Dr. Sivana]

Between Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Pluribus, Please Stand By, and Vivian Vance’s extended family, I am convinced I do not want to spend time in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It also messes up Bugs Bunny’s travel plans.

[crusty old prospector]

Friends in Albuquerque tell us how rampant vehicle thefts are. They have had to go back to the old “Club” for their steering wheels.

[Dr. Sivana]

I retired to a remote mountain area in New Mexico.

Do you remember Mick from the High Mountains of New Mexico, who was an occasional Rush Limbaugh caller? He would describe how he cooked up local vermin, and sometimes deposited animals for food.

[Jane Long]

Sounds like the hippies of Ruidoso!

[ssapro]

And Albuquerque police have a section of the city called the “War Zone” and they’re not kidding. The four years I worked there, lots of gangs, meth labs, human trafficking was rampant in that area. For the size of the city the crime rate is higher than any other comparable city in the US.

[crusty old prospector]

How enchanting.

[xp38]

I drove through Albuquerque many years ago now and from the Interstate it looked quite nice but I never stopped. Just goes to show appearances can be deceiving and I will admit my view was very limited.

[unread]

"They do not care what polling says." Four people whose values on public safety simply do not align with the majority of this state, yet hold complete control."

Their values are most likely bought and paid for by the Mexican cartels. They're told what to think and when to think it...

[Disambiguator]

All this, and they’re banning AR-15s (and Mini-14/30s too) at the same time.

[CedarDave]

And Albuquerque police have a section of the city called the “War Zone” and they’re not kidding. The four years I worked there, lots of gangs, meth labs, human trafficking was rampant in that area. For the size of the city the crime rate is higher than any other comparable city in the US.

Though it still mostly retains the problems you cite, the city has euphemistically relabeled it the "International Zone."

[darth]

Nope. I did not listen to the radio that much back then.

But the corruption in NM is pretty bad. I have heard that the local sheriff knows about the meth labs and is not doing anything about it.

Perhaps our new DEA will be less corrupt.

[darth]

When I moved here I used a large cargo trailer. Locals told me to avoid motels in Albuquerque since the thieves simply steal the entire trailer.

I did lose about $1000 in stuff off a flat bed trailer in Artesia one night.

Meth addicts litter the streets. Look like extras for Breaking Bad.

[af_vet_1981]

Thanks for the warning; it is apparent that New Mexico is not for me.

[MinorityRepublican]

Never been to New Mexico but gotta try this out.

[Savage Beast]

I had a second home in Cedar Ridge, just outside Albuquerque toward Santa Fe, twenty years ago, and I loved it. I never encountered crime, never felt the need to curtail my activities, went downtown and into Old Town at night. I liked N.M. very much.