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All NM police departments could report monthly gun violence stats under gov proposal • Source New Mexico

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All NM police departments could report monthly gun violence stats under gov proposal • Source New Mexico


Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham wants regular, statewide updates on gun violence from police departments across New Mexico.

A two-page draft discussed with lawmakers last week would require all police departments in New Mexico to turn in monthly reports on criminal activity and ballistic information to the Department of Public Safety.

The proposal is one of five that Lujan Grisham wants lawmakers to consider in the special session scheduled to begin July 18.

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The law already requires police departments to turn in monthly reports on crime in their jurisdictions to the department of public safety, but the bill seeks to add “ballistic information” to what must be included in the reports.

The department would have to “provide standards and procedures and related training” to state and local police departments as needed for them to turn in reports every month under the draft bill.

That information would be used “to formulate responses, to make informed presentations on the current situation,” Lujan Grisham’s senior public safety advisor Benjamin Baker told lawmakers.

“I think that is statistical data for helping inform us what’s good policy, what’s good lawmaking, and what’s good advice to bodies such as this,” Baker told the Courts, Corrections & Justice Committee on June 26.

Rep. Alan Martinez (R-Rio Rancho) asked if the crime reporting is not already being done.

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“No, it is not being done in a way that is enforceable by anybody else,” Baker responded. “We have worked towards getting it.”

Baker said the National Incident-Based Reporting System run by the FBI is a “functional, great way that it specifically categorizes crime, but it is voluntary.”

“It is very difficult to pull together relevant and contemporary data that paints a picture statewide,” Baker said.

Bernalillo County started to provide the data to the state eight months ago, Baker said, but there are 193 “public safety agencies” throughout New Mexico. Only 95 agencies in New Mexico reported their data to the national system in 2022, according to FBI data.

“Getting them to share and collaborate on the data piece is critical from our perspective,” he said.

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Rep. Jared Hembree (R-Roswell) pointed out New Mexico law already requires a “uniform crime reporting system,” and every police department “shall” submit crime incident reports to DPS each month.

“So that doesn’t seem voluntary, and seems to be very similar to this draft we have right here,” Hembree said.

Baker said the administration thinks the law needs to be revisited to also include ballistic data, because there is new technology related to ballistic information which wasn’t considered by previous legislation.

“Technology has changed, the reporting repository has changed, and I think what we need is a new way of getting that information to us so we will be able to use it on our level,” Baker said.

He said the goals of the legislation would be to make it easier for local departments to get plugged into the FBI reporting system, and to get more specific information about “what we would call a violent crime gun epidemic that is happening within our state.”

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Martinez asked what would happen if police departments do not comply with the law.

“What do we do when the cops don’t do what we tell them to do?” Baker asked. “I think there are a number of things that, when legislation is passed by this legislature, particularly as it relates to any government agency that receives funding, there is an appropriate mechanism to hold to account folks who do not comply with laws that have been passed by this Legislature.”

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Phoebe Bridgers Debuts New Music at First Show in Three Years

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Phoebe Bridgers Debuts New Music at First Show in Three Years


Phoebe Bridgers played her first solo show in three years on Friday night at The Liberty in Roswell, New Mexico. And if reports are to be believed, the singer’s next album/creative era could truly be out of this world.

The intimate, 13-song set at the 400-capacity venue served as Bridgers’ first solo performance since May 2023 when she opened for Taylor Swift at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. According to posts from several attendees, Bridgers described the evening (which strictly forbid all recording devices) as a “test” for her third album (and follow-up to 2020’s excellent Punisher).

In addition to hits like “Motion Sickness” and “Kyoto,” Bridgers debuted three to four new songs. One attendee described the new music, which included one track tentatively-titled “This is Gonna Kill Me,” as “very sad folk.” Harmonica arrangements were also featured prominently across the new music, provided by Christian Lee Hutson, who served as part of Bridgers’ band.

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Reddit user BSismyname said that the “new songs sounded f**king great and also very sad.” They also mentioned that at least one song might be about Bridgers’ much-publicized relationship with Bo Burnham, and another number detailed the death of her father from just a couple years ago. The Burnham song supposedly also made lyrical references to watching movies on the couch (Bridgers is set to make her acting debut this fall in the A24 crime drama Primetime alongside Robert Pattinson).

Musically speaking, though, one of the biggest takeaways was less to do with the song’s respective subject matter and more to do with Bridgers’ performance. The phoebe daily X/Twitter account reported that during the show, Bridgers “experimented with new vocal techniques.” In further describing those same techniques, BSismyname said that Bridgers was “more ‘on her voice,’” and that she sounded “less breathy and with more power.” However, BSismyname said that the largest difference is the overall “atmosphere” facilitated by this new smattering of music.

The word “atmosphere” also carried some extra weight given everything surrounding the show. The venue was decorated with neon-colored alien imagery, including a large banner/mural on the stage. Several pieces of merch also featured similar alien imagery and iconography, and there was at least one song with even more celestial references (“Now I can’t see any stars in the sky/When a dream comes true, a fantasy dies”). And if aliens/space aren’t a theme, why else would Bridgers return at a venue in Roswell, New Mexico?

While there wasn’t any official word on an album title or a release date for this new music, many attendees did leave with one special gift. Those who chose to store their phones in Yondr pouches at the show were gifted a card that could be “combined to make up the artwork for Bridgers’ next release” ( either a single or the album proper). Similar imagery depicted on the cards were also featured on certain pieces of merch.

Part of the reason for Bridgers’ solo “absence” was her work with boygenius (her indie supergroup with Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus). After debuting in 2018, and then undergoing a hiatus, the trio spent much of 2023 touring and promoting The Record. Boygenius, however, then returned to the shelves with their indefinite hiatus in October 2023.

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Below, check out the full setlist and some accompanying photos of the merch and puzzle pieces. In the meantime, keep watching the heavens and stay tuned for more announcements as they come.

Phoebe Bridgers at The Liberty on May 8th Setlist:
Motion Sickness
Garden Song
Kyoto
Moon Song
Funeral
“Chinese Satellite
**Four New Songs**
Scott Street
Graceland Too
I Know The End





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New Mexico DOJ data: Shell-casing tracking links shootings in Doña Ana County

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New Mexico DOJ data: Shell-casing tracking links shootings in Doña Ana County


A gun-tracking program that uses shell casings to connect shootings is already helping investigators link crimes in Doña Ana County, according to new numbers released by the New Mexico Department of Justice.

The effort is part of New Mexico’s Crime Gun Intelligence Center, which uses ballistic evidence such as shell casings to track guns believed to be used in multiple crimes. The program relies on the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, or NIBIN, a national database that compares ballistic evidence to determine whether shell casings may have come from the same weapon.

In April, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez described how the technology can connect cases across jurisdictions.

“There may be a shooting that occurs in Deming that’s actually connected to a crime gun that’s recovered in Las Cruces. We may find shell casings in Silver City that are connected to something that happened in T or C,” Torrez said.

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Four months into the program, the Department of Justice said 210 bullet casings have been analyzed in Doña Ana County. Those casings helped link 32 incidents to 13 guns.

Jordan Salas reports on New Mexico DOJ data: Shell-casing tracking links shootings in Doña Ana County (Credit: KFOX14)

Statewide, more than 700 casings have been entered into the system, connecting 74 shootings to 31 guns.

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One person reacting to the numbers said, “That’s crazy. Honestly, all those shootings all coming from that little amount of weapons is crazy.”

New Mexico officials say the system is designed to help law enforcement share information faster and build cases more efficiently.

Also in April, Doña Ana County Sheriff Kim Stewart pointed to a local case she said the technology helped resolve quickly.

“We resolved a homicide with a suspect arrest in four days. We know that those casings may lead to another 1 or 2 incidents in another city,” Stewart said.

Some residents said the technology alone will not solve gun violence, but they see it as a step forward. One person said, “I mean, growing up, like hearing gunshots in the distance. That wasn’t something crazy. I have stories of, like, friends who’ve gone to parties that had guns go off there. So, yeah, I would say guns are a problem there.”

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Another person said, “I would think that it’s a good thing. I’m personally like, just anything to help the gun crimes, you know?”

KFOX14/CBS4 contacted Las Cruces police and the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office to ask how the leads are being used in local investigations, but we are awaiting a response.

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New Mexico AG seeks $3.7B from Meta over alleged ‘public nuisance’ claims

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New Mexico AG seeks .7B from Meta over alleged ‘public nuisance’ claims


(Photo Credit: FotoField/Shutterstock)
  • Who: New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez brought a lawsuit against Meta Platforms Inc.
  • Why: The state claims Meta misrepresented harms to minors and created a public nuisance through its social media platforms.
  • Where: The lawsuit is pending in New Mexico state court.
  • How to get help: Has social media impacted the mental health of you or your child? You may qualify to join a social media lawsuit against the platform.

New Mexico’s attorney general is asking a state court to order Meta to pay approximately $3.7 billion to address what the state describes as a “public nuisance” caused by the company’s social media platforms.

The request comes after a jury previously found Meta misrepresented the risks its platforms — including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp — pose to underage users. The jury also imposed a $375 million penalty in the first phase of the trial.

The case has now moved into a second phase, where the court will determine what additional remedies, if any, Meta must provide.

According to the state, the proposed $3.712 billion abatement plan would fund a 15-year effort to address the alleged harms caused by Meta’s platforms. The plan includes funding for public education, school resources, law enforcement support and mental health services for children affected by issues, such as online bullying and sexual exploitation.

“This request recognizes the scope of the public nuisance that Meta has caused,” counsel for the state argued in court.

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The lawsuit alleges Meta concealed or downplayed the extent of harmful activity on its platforms while publicly portraying them as safe for younger users.

Meta disputes liability, challenges proposed abatement plan

Meta denies the allegations and argues there is no legal basis for the sweeping relief requested by the state.

Attorneys for the company contend the proposed abatement plan does not directly address or stop the alleged harmful conduct and instead seeks compensation for downstream effects.

“What no court has ever allowed … is payment for the downstream effects,” Meta’s counsel argued, describing the request as “damages masquerading as something else.”

The court is expected to hear additional testimony during the second phase of the trial before determining whether to approve any form of injunctive relief or financial remedies.

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In March, a California jury found Meta and Google liable for mental health harms suffered by plaintiff Kaley G.M., who became addicted to Instagram and YouTube as a child, awarding $6 million in damages, including $3 million in compensatory damages and $3 million in punitive damages.

What do you think about the claims against Meta in this case? Let us know in the comments.

The state is represented by Raul Torrez of the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General and Donald Migliori, Linda Singer, Michael Pendell and David Ackerman of Motley Rice LLC.

The Meta lawsuit is New Mexico v. Meta Platforms Inc., et al., Case No. D-101-CV-2023-02838, in the First Judicial District Court of New Mexico.



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