Public Safety

ALERT: AG Balderas Warns New Mexicans About Fraudulent ‘Make-A-Wish’ Sweepstakes Scam

From the Office of the Attorney General:

ALBUQUERQUE – Attorney General Hector Balderas issued a Scam Alert today regarding callers posing as officers of a “Consumer Protection Agency,” who have been telling New Mexicans they’ve won hundreds of thousands of dollars in a sweepstakes allegedly conducted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The supposed winners are told they must first pay money to cover taxes, insurance and/or courier fees in order to claim their “prize.” The scammers are asking New Mexicans to send or wire upwards of $3,500 in order to claim their fictitious “prize.”   Read More

Concerned Citizens Launch Website Remembering Those Shot And Killed In New Mexico

NMPGV News:

Concerned citizens take on gun violence in New Mexico with a new website that highlights the lives of those shot and killed in New Mexico.

Yusef Lovato and Ron Schwartz have created a website that memorializes victims of gun violence in New Mexico. With the help of New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence, Lovato and Schwartz have spent countless hours researching and collecting the stories of those senselessly killed by guns in New Mexico.

“This invaluable new website will create much needed awareness on the issue of gun violence in New Mexico. In 2015, 405 people were shot and killed in Read More

Former Manager Of Mescalero Apache Tribe Owned Childcare Center Pleads Guilty To Theft Charge

FBI News:
 
ALBUQUERQUE  The former manager of Team Members Childcare Center (TMCC), a childcare center owned by the Mescalero Apache Tribe and operated at the Inn of the Mountain Gods (IMG) on behalf of its employees that require childcare pled guilty Aug. 14 in Federal Court in Las Cruces, to a theft of government money charge.
 
Gina McPherson, 49, of Capitan, was arrested May 1, 2017, and was charged by criminal complaint with theft of public money. According to the criminal complaint, McPherson committed the crime from Sept. 2011 through Jan. 2016, on the Mescalero
Read More

McQuiston: The ABCs Of Fire Extinguishers

By ALLEN MCQUISTON
The Jemez Agency
 
The ABCs Of Fire Extinguishers – What You Need To Know
 
It might seem hard to believe, but there are some people that feel fire extinguishers are not a valuable fire protection method.
 
The fact is, most people have limited knowledge of fire extinguishers and their intended use. A fire extinguisher can certainly be a lifesaver.
 
There are numerous factors to consider when selecting the proper fire extinguisher. Selection, location, servicing, and training are the key elements of utilizing fire extinguishers to their full
Read More

Navajo Man From Shiprock Gets 30 Months In Prison

FBI News:
 
ALBUQUERQUE  Byron Harold Peshlakai, 26, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Shiprock, was sentenced in Federal Court in Santa Fe, to 30 months in prison for his involuntary manslaughter conviction. Peshlakai will be on supervised release for three years after completing his prison sentence.
 
Peshlakai was arrested in October 2016 on an indictment charging him with involuntary manslaughter. According to the indictment, Peshlakai killed the victim with his vehicle while driving under the influence of alcohol on the Navajo Indian Reservation
Read More

DPU Notes Increase In Gas Leak Reports

By MAIRE O’NEILL
Los Alamos Daily Post

A spike in suspected gas leaks reported to the Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities and Los Alamos Fire Department last week was mostly related to leaking appliances, according to the County’s Deputy Utilities Manager Jack Richardson.

There was a total of six calls Aug. 17 alone but Richardson said his supervisors were not really surprised.

“As we head into fall weather, people are relighting furnaces and using more gas, so we get more calls than we typically do. About half the calls are for leaking appliances such as hot water Read More

LAPS: Solar Eclipse Safety Reminder

LAPS Superintendent Dr. Kurt Steinhaus

Greetings from the Superintendent’s Desk!

Well … it looks like we may have clouds and maybe even rain during Monday’s Solar Eclipse. In any case, this spectacular event offers a rare teachable moment about science and safety.

In Los Alamos, the Partial Eclipse begins at about 10:22 a.m. when the Moon touches the Sun’s edge. The Maximum Eclipse will be at about 11:46 a.m. when the Moon is closest to the center of the Sun.

Here are some safety reminders for students and staff on Monday: 

  • The only safe way to look directly at the uneclipsed
Read More

Public Safety Degree Offered

UNM-LA News:

UNM Los Alamos is now offering a two-year pathway for earning an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Public Safety with Concentrations in Police Science, Emergency Management, and Homeland Security.

This program trains specialists to work for local and state governments, hospitals, emergency and other relief organizations in the wake of an increased need of Police departments, Emergency Management groups and Homeland Security departments in Northern New Mexico and beyond.

Instructors in this program include Elizabeth Allen, a local attorney with a JD from Pepperdine Read More

Public Forum Targets Veterans Transportation Issues

VETERANS News:

ALBUQUERQUE – Veterans, National Guard/Reserve personnel, and their spouses are invited to attend a public forum to address transportation issues facing veterans at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 22, at the Central New Mexico College (CNM) Workforce Training Center at 5600 Eagle Rock Ave. NE.

This public forum follows a morning Veterans Transportation Summit sponsored by the New Mexico Department of Veterans Services (DVS) attended by representatives from public and private transportation agencies throughout the state, who will be discussing how they can improve the transportation Read More

Governor: New TV Ads Fight DWI; Distracted Driving

Courtesy/NMDOT

STATE News:

SANTA FE – Gov. Susana Martinez announced powerful TV ads – called “Just a Matter of Time” – to fight drunk and distracted driving. 

Both of the new ads are from the point of view of a driver breaking the law – until ultimately they crash. The ads can be viewed here.

“When you drive drunk or distracted you put your life and the lives of every other person on the road in danger,” Martinez said. “It just isn’t worth it. Make the responsible decision when you get behind the wheel – it will save lives.”

In one ad a man is featured driving distracted over and over again, until Read More