The Las Cruces Police Department deployed its new, state-of-the-art, $170,000 Mobile Operations Command center to the Las Colinas neighborhood where residents can meet with officers and share their concerns about public safety.
The MOC was stationed Thursday at Las Colinas Park, near Galina Driveand Las Colinas Drive, and will be staffed continuously until 10 p.m. on Saturday.
Las Cruces Police officers will conduct a free Ident-A-Child program Saturday during a neighborhood picnic at the park. The picnic, sponsored by the First Baptist Church of Las Cruces, will be held from 1-4 p.m. Saturday.
Other organizations scheduled to be on hand during the picnic include the Child Crisis Center of Southern New Mexico, the CareNet Teen Pregnancy Center, the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office DARE and GREAT programs, and the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. All activities are free and open to neighborhood residents.
Residents who live in the Las Colinas neighborhood are encouraged to visit with officers and share their ideas for a safer community. Residents can also discuss any law enforcement concerns that they may have. No appointment is necessary to visit with an officer at the Mobile Operations Command.
The Las Cruces Police Department’s new MOC is a 42-foot long Scotty brand gooseneck travel trailer with two slide-outs, seven work stations and a briefing room. The MOC is equipped with a satellite dish with two receivers, telescopic lights, a video camera system and communications equipment that allow Las Cruces Police to communicate with other law enforcement agencies and amateur – or ham – radio operators.
The new vehicle was purchased using funds from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant provided in the 2009 Recovery Act and received from the U.S. Department of Justice. LCPD’s old command center, a Class A motor home that had been in use since the 1990’s, will be donated to the Sunland Park Police Department.