Those large entities are in process of doing same. NYC, Chicago, with lapd having future plans for it.
I lived in New Mexico in the late 1970's and early 1980's. It was my observation that New Mexico had plenty of corruption, crime and incompetency while I was there. In my opinion the state needed people to move in from other states so help out. As an example, living in a small town, that drunk driving was totally out of control. The fatality rate for drunk driving, which was 50% of all accidents was 50% nationwide at the time. In New Mexico it was 75%. I was on a volunteer fire department and an EMT on the town ambulance. When people were driving and drunk, injuring/killing themselves and others, the attitude seemed to be one of resignation, that it was like cancer, nothing could be done to avoid it. I understand that in the last couple of decades the state has really clamped down on that and trying to counter that cultural perspective. I would be they needed the help of "outside" individuals moving there.as part of that effort.
New Mexico had plenty of crime while I lived there. Blaming others who have moved in for all the state's woes is simplistic and using stereotypes. I could give you several hours of conversation about what I saw in New Mexico during my residency there, full of stories interacting with state and local agencies. It wasn't all bad, but far worse than any of the other 3 states I lived in during my career. Also, don't tell me that it was or is that way in rural areas, but much better in big cities, of which New Mexico has 4 (Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Roswell and Las Cruces). It might have been better than the rural areas, but consider the rural counties were some of the worst in the nation. This is not just my opinion, but the opinion of some journalists and educators using hard data. The line from one local magazine was "living in rural New Mexico is as close to living in a 3rd world country as one can get inside the boundaries of the U.S.
Our fire department was laughable in its equipment, procedures and training. The guy who came down from the state to do one training session in the four years I was there was terrible. He had basically no presentation of knowledge. There was no oversight from anyone as to how the department was run. No certification of anyone, except for the EMT's, who received a federal or national certificate as a result of the U.S. Department of Transportation as to curriculum.
I had come from Arizona when I moved to New Mexico, them moved on to Nevada and then California during a career with the feds. I worked with agencies in four different states during my career. I base my opinions on that experience.
Don't get me wrong either. New Mexico's landscapes are incredible. The outdoor recreation was fantastic as were the natural features like Carlsbad and White Sands, the National Wildlife Refuges, the National Parks and National Forests, the whitewater rafting in the Gorge of the Rio Grande, the wilderness areas with their great trails, the the state being the site of all those "island in the sky" mountain ranges, the cross country and downhill skiing on such dry snow, the number of pre-historic and historic sites, the scientific facilities, the Sangre de Cristo effect on the mountains at sunset (best I've ever seen anywhere), and on and on. I'm so glad I was able to call the state home for awhile.
www.pleasantonweekly.com
