Auto Theft Rate in

Albuquerque New Mexico

By: Jake Haman
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Jake Haman
Dr. Xu
English 219
October 10, 2017
Auto Theft Rate in Albuquerque New Mexico
Introduction
The National Insurance Crime Bureau indicates that Albuquerque has the highest rate of auto
theft per capita within the United States. Reports show that the regions population is
comprised of about 887,000, with the reported cases of stolen and carjacking in the year 2016
totaling up to 10,000. Since the year 2015, the number of vehicles reported stolen increased
with about 50%. The issue is of concern to the law enforcers and affects the lives of people
within the area. The purpose of this research is to identify the underlying reasons for the car
theft issue in Albuquerque and devise possible solutions to solving the problem within New
Mexico.
Methodology
The methods employed in this research include the use of questionnaires, interviews and
reading through literature sources to obtain information about the rates of auto theft. Statistics
were also taken into consideration concerning the rising rate of larceny for motor vehicles,
number of police officers, and the rates of recidivism.
Discussion of Results
The underlying reasons behind the increased rate of auto theft in Albuquerque, New Mexico
are unclear. However, quite a number of them have been suggested. Statistics evidence that
the crime rates of the vehicles have increased over time.
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Some of these reasons put forth to explain the risen rates of auto theft include:
Lack of a Proper Auto Theft Enforcement Law
Notably, the offenders caught stealing motor vehicles are convicted but later released. The
release of these criminals shows that there lacks sufficient laws enforced towards
rehabilitating their behavior, especially since about 46% of the published criminals relapse on
their criminal activities. Despite the state having clear rules to convict and rehabilitate the law
offenders, it is not evident that there are proper laws enforced to curb the issue of auto thefts.
Oscar et al. (22) state that Albuquerque has less police force. Moreover, the laws integrated
fail to function towards reducing the overall issue of auto theft within the region.
High Local Recidivism Rate
According to Nicole (par 4), the crime rate in New Mexico has always been high. Majority of
the felonious activities within the country have been perpetrated through motor vehicles theft.
However, some of the criminals convicted are later released after their conviction period is
over. Miller, Ivall, and Schultz (98) assert that increased rate of social recidivism is among
the leading factors causing high auto theft rate in the state. The released criminals re-join bad
gangs connected to previously. They therefore engage in the criminal behavior. Statistics
show that there has been a decrease in the jail population, suggesting that the increased rate
of auto theft in the region is caused by recidivism (Sarah 140).
Reduced Police Officers
The number of police officers within the region has diminished over years. The reduction in
the number of police officers is directly related to the increased rate of auto theft within
Albuquerque, New Mexico. Notably, with fewer police officers, guarding of the vehicles in
the street is minimum. Therefore, theft cases arise.
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Recommendations of the Possible Solutions

Some solutions can be integrated towards achieving better outcomes and reducing the overall
auto theft experienced in Albuquerque, New Mexico. From the analysis, it is evident that
causes of increased rate of auto theft are all related. The instances specifically revolve around
regulations regarding vehicle security, police officers and recidivism. In light of the above
information, the possible solutions are:
Refining and Monitoring the Criminal Justice Practices
Since most of the criminal offenders released back into the society contribute to the rising
numbers of motor vehicle theft in Albuquerque New Mexico, reforming the criminal justice
system within the state would have positive benefits. Reforms would assist reduce auto theft
in cases extensively. Nicole (7) suggests that incarcerated criminals convicted of stealing
vehicles should be retained within the prison systems to ensure they are reformed before
release. Notably, the approach can largely trim the criminals. Moreover, adverse effects can
be eliminated. The system should adopt use of psychological approaches to ensure
individuals are reformed. Such procedures may involve using Trans-Theoretical Models of
Change to provide behavioral transformation and hence reduce number of auto thefts within
Albuquerque New Mexico.
Engaging in Community Policing Approaches
Community policing is one of the most appropriate approaches that should be integrated in
the system to reduce the problem of motor vehicle theft in the region. While the number of
police forces is less in the area, the use of community policing would have positive benefits
through curbing problem experienced. Ehlert (75) suggests that the community can engage
with the police forces concerning various levels and platforms such as the social media,
mobile phones and through police websites to help seize criminals and avert the challenge
faced.
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Increasing the Number of Police Officers

The most appropriate approach to curb the issue of auto theft would entail increasing number
of police forces per region in Albuquerque. The police have the authority and mandate to
apprehend the criminals. The law enforcers can quickly seize the criminals and ensure
reduction of number of auto thefts within the region. Increase in the number of police forces
will be efficient since the ratio of vehicles to the police will be low, resulting to fewer cars
guarded by a given police force. Moreover, the police administration should utilize the
available resources such as CCTV cameras to increase their surveillance and hence reduce
the overall rate of auto theft in Albuquerque New Mexico.
To plan for the integration of the solutions, the government in the United States
should co-operate with the police force and the community towards implementing the same.
Notably, working together can have positive effects by reducing auto theft cases in
Albuquerque New Mexico. In addition to the strategy, the government should develop a
proper evaluation approach to understand what actions are practical and to what extent.
Conclusion
The purpose of the research enatiled identifying underlying reasons for car theft issue in
Albuquerque. It has devised possible solutions towards solving the identified problem within
New Mexico. The National Insurance Crime Bureau indicates that Albuquerque has the
highest rate of auto theft per capita within the United States. The study has unraveled that the
offenders caught stealing motor vehicles are convicted but are later released. The released
criminals join bad gangs, which had connections with previously thereby reengaging in
criminal behavior. Statistics show that there has been a decrease in the jail population,
suggesting that recidivism causes increased rate of auto theft in the region. The most
appropriate approach to curb the issue of auto theft would entail increasing number of police
forces per area in Albuquerque.
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Works Cited
Ehlert. "Settler Social Order: The Violence of Policing in New Mexico."2016, prison, print.
Miller, Ivall, and Schultz. "Albuquerque police department monthly report, January 2013."
2013. From https://www.cabq.gov/police/documents/monthly-
reports/January_2013.pdf/@@download/file/January_2013.pdf
Nicole. "Car Thieves Shift into High Gear In Albuquerque." Abqjournal.com., 2017. Web. 21
Oct. 2017. From https://www.abqjournal.com/813721/city-grabs-no-2-spot-in-
vehicle-thefts-in-us.html
Oscar et al. "Incorporating Public Insecurity Indicators: A New Approach to Measuring
Social Welfare in Mexico." Social Indicators Research , 2017: 1-23.
Sarah. Juveniles in residential placement, 2011. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice,
Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention,
2014. From https://www.ojjdp.gov/pubs/249507.pdf