Sep. 26—ALBUQUERQUE — Top law enforcement officials, including Attorney General Raúl Torrez and the men who run the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office and Santa Fe Police Department, convened Tuesday for a conference aimed to find strategies to combat gun violence.
During a news conference at the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, Torrez kicked off the summit, which hopes to provide ideas that can translate into policies for state lawmakers to consider during the next legislative session.
Torrez said he aimed to “build consensus by making space for folks in the room who have a different perspective” than he does on gun violence.
He said police and prosecutors are “usually the last people to get asked about comprehensive proposals for criminal justice reform.”
The summit will consist of three panel discussions featuring police and prosecutors, including Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza and Santa Fe Police Chief Paul Joye.
The event comes less than a week after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham rescinded part of a controversial public health order that banned carrying guns in public places throughout Bernalillo County.
The attorney general said the public discussion spurred by Lujan Grisham’s move — which faced constitutional challenges in court — has “obscured important facts and realities” about gun violence “that people deserve to hear.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.