ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Juvenile crime is on the rise. The Albuquerque Police Department has issued thousands of arrests and citations for kids over the last five years.
Chief Harold Medina said his department can’t arrest its way out of this problem and laws can only do so much. He said systemic changes starts in the household. “If kids feel they can get away with something and there are no consequences, why are they not going to do it or why are they going to stop?” said Chief Medina.
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Juvenile arrests are increasing each year. Over the last five years, Albuquerque police arrested or cited 2,600 adolescents ages 11 to 17.
“I wonder how many individuals were released that we could not book an arrest because they asked us just to forward the report and that juvenile probation will probably get a hold of these individuals,” said Chief Medina.