Deputy Police Chief Jason Wardlow Herrera, left, speaks with Chief Dino Sgambellone Tuesday at the police station. LAPD recently reported the crime rate in Los Alamos is the lowest in LAPD history. Sgambellone said he appreciates the support LAPD receives from the community and appreciates his staff. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
A positive trend has been occurring in Los Alamos; it is a trend residents should be proud of because the majority of the town has contributed to moving in this good direction.
According to the Los Alamos Police Department’s most recent crime statistics, part 1 offenses, which include violent crime such as murder and rape, as well as property crimes such as arson and burglary, totaled 92 in 2019. As a result, the police department reported that it believes the 92 part 1 crimes are the lowest recorded crime rate in the department’s history.
Furthermore, part 1 crime has gone down 57 percent since 2014, Police Chief Dino Sgambellone said.
Sgambellone said many factors play a role in decreasing criminal activity.
“It really is a community effort to achieve the results that we have,” he said. “For the police, my philosophy has always been focused on four basic areas: enforcement, education, prevention and where we can – treatment.”
He added that unfortunately enforcement will always be needed but the police can deter crime through different community-focused programs and offer treatment when they are able through the detention center, which provides counseling for numerous issues. The police department also collaborates with different entities in Los Alamos such as Los Alamos Public Schools and the University of New Mexico-Los Alamos.
“We need to continue our community-focused approach and try and fill in the gaps when we can,” Sgambellone said. “I think the schools, both Los Alamos Public Schools and UNM-LA contribute significantly to this issue. They help (young people) grow into mature adults, which results in future successes with young folks.”
To address gap areas, or areas that need more attention and assistance, Sgambellone said the police started discussions about DARE with the schools. He said the DARE program has significantly modified its curriculum to address not just substance abuse but has developed a character-driven approach for resiliency factors that are important for youth.
Additionally, Sgambellone said the police department provides Safety Town for pre-K students and there are several programs for high school students, but work is needed to be done at the middle school level. The hope, he said, is to address problematic behaviors early on and help middle-school age students make better choices.
The police department is not alone is achieving decreased crime rates. Many local organizations and individuals help steered crime trends to go down.
Sgambellone said, “I’m very appreciative of the support the department receives from the community (and) I appreciate my staff. I think as a community we need to continue to fill gaps in service and provide resources to address those issues.”
Teen Court is one of these organizations.
Municipal Judge Elizabeth Allen said, “Teen Court has found that through its resources it has reduced recidivism.”
There are a couple of aspects to Teen Court that help teens not repeat their offenses, Allen said. For one, she said hearing their peers saying, “don’t do this” is more effective than hearing it from an adult.
Allen added, “I feel like the court system focuses on a lot of punishment and Teen Court is more about making the community whole.”
It also helps that Teen Court is in Los Alamos, she said.
It saves youth from having to go off the hill, plus, Allen said bureaucracy can be slow so teens would have to wait long periods to hear about decisions on their cases. While waiting, they potentially could get into trouble again.
By having Teen Court in Los Alamos, “we are able to address these cases in a timely manner,” she said.
Plus, Allen said by being able to do community service locally, teens can learn job skills and receive employment at the places they volunteered at.
She explained Teen Court meets at 3:30 p.m. every Wednesday at Municipal Court. The cases are received from the police department or referred by the juvenile detention officer.
Anyone in grades seventh through 12th grade can volunteer. Allen explained seventh through eighth grade students can serve on the jury and high school age students can receive training to work as the attorney, the prosecutor and the judge. She said kids can just show up at the Municipal Court and food is always served.
Punishments are divided into levels. Allen said an individual may receive 10-20 hours of community service and serve in Teen Court one or two times and attend a driver’s education course.
For cases involving shoplifting, marijuana and reckless driving, she said the punishments can be 20-40 hours of community service and individuals may serve two to four times in Teen Court.
Those convicted also may need to participate in Boys or Girls Circle with the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board (JJAB), attend substance abuse counseling or take a life skills class, Allen said. The jury decides on the hours of community service and how many times they should serve in Teen Court.
Teen Court is effective, Allen said, because “It helps kids understand the consequences of their choices.”
She said it also exposes them to things like car insurance, what to do when you get into a car accident, etc.
Really, Teen Court is here to help youth, Allen said.
“We can help you find resources … we can help you figure this out,” she said. “We have to realize that our teens are stressed, sad and trying to figure things out. We can help them and be more responsive to crisis.”
JJAB is another contributing factor to helping reduce crime in Los Alamos.
JJAB Executive Director Lisa Zuhn said it was established in 2004. The non-profit organization has a board that features a mix of community representatives from the schools, parents, businesses, LANL, faith organizations, youth liaisons and the police and court system, she said.
Zuhn said JJAB was formed because “we had youth in the juvenile system who weren’t getting serviced here in Los Alamos so they had to travel off the hill.”
She added the organization began by focusing on youth in the system, but the focus has expanded to youth who are at risk and now “our focus is to help all youth.”
JJAB also works with families. It manages or funds 21 programs in the community, Zuhn said.
The largest program is the resource specialist, she said; the specialists work with youth and their families. The program connects participants to mental health services, basic/life needs, substance abuse support, parenting resources, as well as academic support such as after school tutoring and mentoring.
Why is JJAB valuable?
“I think number one, especially in today’s society, there are so many challenges to youth and their families and we want to make sure they are on the right track,” Zuhn said. “It’s just extremely important for the community. We want our youth to thrive.”
Zuhn also emphasized it is a community-wide effort to help youth succeed.
“Assisting youth and their families is really a community effort and JJAB is grateful that we are a part of the solution,” Zuhn said. “JJAB focuses on providing programs and services to all youth and their families through our Resource Specialists, One Circle for Girls and Boys, Parenting Education, Youth Mental Health First Aid and Restorative Justice programs. The ability to identify gaps and implement prevention and early intervention programs is making a difference in assisting our youth with the challenges they face. In addition to JJAB, Los Alamos has several incredible youth centered organizations like the LAPS Healthy School Initiative, FSN, the Teen Center, the Youth Activity Center, and a multitude of engaged community members. These organizations and the partnerships formed between them shows the commitment to surround our youth with support, empowering them to thrive in school and life.”
So, what can Los Alamos do to ensure this positive trend continues? Keep doing what it is doing, Sgambellone said.
“There are several issues that contribute to low crime … we have those characteristics (education, high income, low unemployment, professional and well educated),” he said.
It also helps that the community is full of engaged individuals, Sgambellone said, explaining the public will call the police department if they see any suspicious activity or anything out of the ordinary. People also call in to the crime tips line.
Locally, there is a high level of accountability for personal actions and family units are very strong here as well as the faith-based institutions, he said.
“People contribute positively to our quality of life in Los Alamos,” Sgambellone said.
