Governor Michelle Lujan-Grisham was in Alamogordo on Wednesday for a town hall discussion on crime and safety in the state.
Lujan-Grisham’s visit to Southern New Mexico comes less than two weeks before the beginning of the state's legislative session. The governor was joined by local officials, including Alamogordo Mayor Susan Payne, and took questions from residents regarding public safety.
While addressing community members, Lujan-Grisham said that she’s pushing for more mental health resources in the state, as well as a reform to the state’s criminal competency laws so that potentially dangerous individuals aren’t released after being arrested due to being declared incompetent.
“This is a dramatic risk and source of crime in our communities. And I am sure it is especially painful for the families and community here that lost two officers unnecessarily and unfairly in the line of duty by felons in possession of a firearm who should have been incarcerated,” Lujan-Grisham said.
The governor’s fiscal year 2026 budget recommendation calls for the state to spend nearly $581 million on public safety, including a 6.4% spending increase for the New Mexico Department of Public Safety. New Mexico’s legislative session begins on Tuesday, January 21.
