New Mexico’s governor declares state of emergency in county over rise in crime

By Asiye Latife Yilmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) – The US state of New Mexico declared a state of emergency Wednesday in the city of Espanola and surrounding areas due to a sharp rise in violent crime and drug trafficking.

In her executive order, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham authorized the use of state resources including the National Guard in response to requests for assistance.

Grisham said the order, which includes Rio Arriba County, Santa Clara and Ohkay Owingeh, approves $750,000 in emergency funding for the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to deliver support to those communities, CBS News reported.

She said police calls in Espanola and surrounding areas have more than doubled in the past two years, while officer dispatches to businesses have quadrupled.

This marks the second time this year that Grisham has declared a state of emergency over crime following a similar action in April, when she deployed around 70 National Guard members to the city of Albuquerque.

"When our local leaders called for help to protect their communities, we responded immediately with decisive action," the governor said. "We are making every resource available to support our local partners on the ground and restore public safety and stability to these areas that have been hardest hit by this crisis."