Albuquerque police turn to community to help combat youth crime – KOAT

Report on Community-Police Collaboration to Address Youth Crime in Albuquerque
Introduction: A Strategic Response to a Growing Concern
The city of Albuquerque is confronting a rise in juvenile crime through a collaborative community-based initiative. The Albuquerque Police Department (APD) is facilitating a public forum as part of its ongoing ECHO series, which is designed to unite experts, law enforcement, and local residents in addressing public safety challenges. This initiative directly supports several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by focusing on peace, community safety, and partnership.
Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
The forum’s core mission is to reduce violence and enhance public safety, directly contributing to SDG 16. Key objectives include:
- Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates. The meeting aims to develop strategies to curb youth violence, particularly incidents involving firearms.
- Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making. By creating a platform for community members to voice concerns and co-develop solutions with the police, the initiative embodies a participatory approach to governance and public safety.
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
The emphasis on building stronger community relationships is a cornerstone of creating safer, more resilient urban environments, in line with SDG 11.
- Target 11.7: Provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible public spaces. The belief that residents feel safer when they know their neighbors underpins the effort to foster community cohesion, which is essential for creating secure and inclusive neighborhoods.
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
The ECHO series itself is a model of multi-stakeholder collaboration, reflecting the principles of SDG 17. It establishes a vital partnership between a public institution (the APD) and the community it serves to achieve common safety and development goals.
Identified Drivers of Juvenile Crime
The Albuquerque Police Department has identified several critical factors contributing to the increase in youth violence:
- Increased Access to Firearms: A notable rise in young people obtaining firearms has been linked to more frequent deadly outcomes during altercations.
- Influence of Social Media: Digital platforms are increasingly cited as a space where conflicts among youth are initiated or intensified, often leading to violence in the physical world.
Objectives of the Community Engagement Forum
While acknowledging that a single meeting is not a comprehensive solution, the APD has outlined several strategic goals for the event:
- To bring diverse community members and experts together for a collaborative dialogue.
- To share critical resources and discuss effective strategies for violence prevention.
- To actively listen to and document the concerns and insights of the community.
- To respond to a community-expressed desire to learn about and address the issue of juvenile violence, as confirmed by Xochitl Campos Biggs, Chief Policy Adviser for the APD.
Forum Logistics
Date and Time
- Wednesday, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Participation Methods
- Virtual Attendance: Available via Zoom, with access details provided online.
- In-Person Attendance: Community members are invited to join at the University Substation.
Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article
1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?
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SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
- This goal is the most relevant as the article’s central theme is addressing “youth crime” and “violence that spills into the streets.” It focuses on public safety, reducing violence, and the role of institutions like the Albuquerque Police Department in working with the community to create a more peaceful society.
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SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- The article is set in Albuquerque and discusses issues of urban safety. The goal of making the city safer for its residents, particularly by addressing crime in neighborhoods and making people “feel safer,” directly aligns with the objective of making cities and human settlements inclusive and safe.
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SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
- The article highlights a collaborative approach to problem-solving. The police are “turning to the community for solutions” through the “ECHO series — an ongoing forum where experts and neighbors work together.” This emphasis on partnership between a public institution (police) and civil society (community members) is a core principle of SDG 17.
2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?
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Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere.
- The article directly addresses this target by focusing on the “growing problem” of “youth crime.” It specifically mentions concerns about violence escalating to “deadly outcomes” due to young people gaining “access to firearms.”
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Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.
- The police department’s strategy involves creating an “ongoing forum” to “listen to the concerns of the community.” The fact that the topic of juvenile violence “came from folks who responded to our surveys” demonstrates a commitment to participatory and responsive decision-making in addressing public safety.
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Target 11.7: By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces.
- The effort to reduce youth crime and violence that “spills into the streets” is fundamentally about improving the safety of public spaces within the community of Albuquerque. The police believe that stronger community connections will make “people feel safer,” which is a key outcome related to this target.
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Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships.
- The entire initiative described in the article is a partnership. The “ECHO series” is a mechanism for the police department (public institution) to work with “experts and neighbors” (civil society) to “share resources, discuss strategies,” and collectively address public safety concerns.
3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?
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Implied Indicator for Target 16.1: Rates of youth crime and violence.
- The article identifies “youth crime” as a “growing problem.” A direct indicator of progress would be a reduction in the number of reported juvenile crimes, particularly those involving firearms and violence. The mention of “deadly outcomes” implies that homicide rates among youth are a key metric.
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Implied Indicator for Target 16.1: Proportion of the population that feels safe.
- The article explicitly states, “Officers believe people feel safer when they know their neighbors.” This suggests that a key measure of success for their community-building efforts would be an increase in the residents’ perception of safety in their neighborhoods. This aligns with official SDG indicator 16.1.4.
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Implied Indicator for Target 16.7: Level of community participation and satisfaction.
- The article mentions that the meeting topic was chosen because community members “responded to our surveys and said, ‘This is what I want to learn about.'” Progress can be measured by the number of community members attending meetings (in person or on Zoom), the number of survey responses, and feedback on whether the community feels their concerns are being heard and addressed.
4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
SDGs | Targets | Indicators (Identified from the Article) |
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SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions |
16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere.
16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels. |
– Reduction in the rate of “youth crime” and “deadly outcomes.” – Increase in the proportion of the population that “feel safer.” – Number of community members participating in forums and responding to surveys. |
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities | 11.7: Provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces. |
– Reduction in “violence that spills into the streets.” – Increased perception of safety in neighborhoods and public spaces. |
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals | 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships. |
– Establishment and continuation of the “ECHO series” forum where “experts and neighbors work together.” – Number of meetings held and resources shared between the police and the community. |
Source: koat.com