Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Police Chief Smith outlines plans for 2015 Vol. 124, No. 08 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD CITY EDITOR
Police Chief Phil Smith shared some of his plans for 2015 with the Roswell City Council on Thursday, and most of those plans go hand-in-hand with his emphasis on community policing — bringing the residents and the of ficers together to work toward reducing crime in the city. Growing the School Resource Officer program is one of the chief’s initiatives for 2015. He wants to increase manning to five officers and one sergeant, and move those of ficers away from the campuses after school hours to interact with the children —
especially in the summer when there is a lack of things for kids to do. “Children who are growing up with material resources, typically don’t have problems,” Smith said. “But we want to be there for the kids who don’t have those resources, whose parents can’t afford activities for them.” Smith wants the Roswell Police Department to work with the Parks and Recreation Department as well as the Roswell Museum and Arts Center and the public library to provide activities for children, and to help steer them away from bad influences. “We would rather capture their attention now and
help them learn good values, so we don’t have see them become part of the criminal justice system in the future,” Smith said. “There are parts of town where we would like to concentrate and provide more resources for the community.” Part of that focus also includes the “hot spot” policing, which has been going on for about a month and a half, Smith said. “Hot spot” policing refers to policing strategies that focus on small geographic areas or places, usually in urban settings, where crime is concentrated, according to the website, crimesolutions.com. Although there is not a
common definition for “hot spots,” they are generally thought of as small places in which the occurrence of crime is so frequent that it is highly predictable, at least over a one year period, the website states. Through hot spots policing strategies, law enforcement agencies can focus limited resources in areas where crime is most likely to occur. The appeal of focusing limited resources on a small number of high-activity crime areas is based on the belief that if crime can be prevented at these hot spots, then total crime across the city might also See POLICE, Page A2
Easy riders, big and small 12 months. On Thursday, Sandoval made a stop at Champion Motorsports on West Second Street with his pintsized riding companion, Scooter, a 6-year-old Chihuahua. Sandoval and Scooter, aka Trash, are on
City Council votes to demolish home BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD CITY EDITOR
City Councilors voted 8-2 to demolish a home located at 1107 N. Union Ave. on Thursday after a hearing over an objection lodged by the property owner. The council held a special quasi-judicial hearing to take testimony on the matter, hearing of numerous cita-
a quest to raise money for the families of fallen soldiers, specifically the American Legion Legacy Scholarship Fund. Sandoval, who stands 6foot, 2-inches tall, opened
tions issued by the city against the property, dating back to 2011. Ultimately, the council voted to proceed with the demolition of the structure, but not after hearing extensive testimony from city employees and the property owner, Leonard Boggs of Roswell. Boggs had submitted a
AG Balderas shares agenda ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — The practice of hiring private lawyers to file lawsuits on behalf of the New Mexico attorney general’s office is under review, newly elected Attorney General Hector Balderas said Thursday. During his first news conference as the state’s top law enforcer, Balderas said he was aware of a New York Times story in December that showed how more attorneys general are hiring private law firms to file lawsuits. The story, which featured former New Mexico Attor ney General Gary King, reported that private lawyers search public records for potential cases then approach attorneys general. State officials hire the firms to do the necessary legwork, and in return, the firms get a percentage of any money won in a court case. Some of the private lawyers also donated to the campaigns of attor neys general, the newspaper reported. Balderas said he would examine whether the practice compromises the integrity of the office and will decide if his of fice
Above: Adam Sandoval, of Green Bay, Wisconsin, made a stop at Champion Motorsports on West Second Street with his pint-sized riding companion, Scooter, a 6-year-old Chihuahua. Sandoval and Scooter are on a quest to raise money for the American Legion Legacy Scholarship Fund. Right: Besides riding up front and feeling the wind on his face, Scooter also likes to travel in style in his very own “Trash” bag.
Green Bay, Wisconsin, native Adam Sandoval has a big goal: Ride his Harley Davidson motorcycle to every Harley dealership in the lower 48 states within
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STAFF REPORT
January 9, 2015
See COUNCIL, Page A3
AP Photo
Newly elected Attorney General Hector Balderas announced Thursday at a news conference in Albuquerque the creation of a new criminal division aimed at going after violent offenders.
should “refor m any process” with the private firms.
“Those issues are under review,” Balderas said. “We are now studying reforms to make sure that we pro-
Suspect arrested Cavin was once a courthouse cast out 24 hours after shooting incident See RIDERS, Page A3
BY JEFF TUCKER RECORD STAFF WRITER
SUBMITTED BY RPD
Roswell police on Thursday afternoon arrested a local man wanted for allegedly firing multiple rifle shots Wednesday at a vehicle containing two other local men who had just been released from jail following the dismissal of charges against them in an earlier shooting case in which the man arrested Thursday had been the victim. Police arrested Angel Alfred Martinez, 22, at about 3 p.m. Thursday, some 24 hours after Martinez allegedly shot at a car in which Fabian Ward Sr., 38, and Thomas Olivas, 32, were riding, along with two women who had picked up the men from the Chaves County Detention Center only minutes earlier.
Martinez
The Wednesday shooting occurred about 3 p.m. in the area of East Poe Street and Cahoon Avenue, not too far from the jail in south Roswell. Martinez is accused of shooting from the SUV he was riding in behind the See SHOOTING, Page A3
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TODAY’S FORECAST
Having once been tur ned away fr om the Chaves County Courthouse because of his attire, Chaves County’s newest commissioner said he agr ees with a r ecent ef fort by the Chaves County Commission to strip the courthouse of its regal dress code. Commissioner Will Cavin took his oath of of fice Dec. 31 at the Chaves County Administrative Center, along with other county of ficials who wer e swor n in for four-year terms. Armed and uniformed sherif f’s deputies were not at the front door of the administrative center Dec. 31 enforcing a dress code, as they have been every business day for years at the courthouse, such as four years ago when Cavin said he was tripped up by the dress
Courtesy Photo
Newly elected County Commissioner Will Cavin, who was once not allowed to attend a swearing-in ceremony at the Chaves County Courthouse until he changed his clothes, said he agreed with the commission’s recent decision to do away with the courthouse’s strict dress code.
code while attempting to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Magistrate Judge John Halvorson. Cavin, a retired physi-
• DAVID INGALLS • MICHAEL CHARLES MCCOOL • ROBERT W. YEO
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A6
cal educator and coach for the Roswell Independent School District and New Mexico Military Institute, said he was
CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6 COMICS .................B5 ENTERTAINMENT .....A8 FINANCIAL ..............B4
See BALDERAS, Page A3
dr essed in his work clothes when he went to the courthouse for the ceremony. “They wouldn’t let me in,” Cavin said, adding he had to go home and change clothes in order to attend the swearing-in cer emony. “Somebody should be using some common sense. I consider myself to be a common-sense type of leader.” Cavin, 52, of Roswell, said he agrees with a resolution unanimously adopted by the Chaves County Commission Dec. 18, which — at least, theoretically — ended the imposition of the dress code and the associated ban on cellphones and cameras in the historic courthouse. The commission asserted its jurisdiction of the courthouse, noting the courthouse — built in 1911 — is a county See CAVIN, Page A6
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2
HOROSCOPES .........A8 LOTTERIES .............A2
OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8