Border Patrol Boost: New Powers Granted to Police Officers to Tackle Crime

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SUNLAND PARK, N.M. (Border Report) – Police in a border community adjacent to Mexico have been granted expanded powers, allowing them to pursue offenders and assist in rescues beyond their jurisdiction.

On Wednesday, Doña Ana County Sheriff Kim Stewart officially cross-commissioned 24 officers from the Sunland Park Police Department. This new authority permits them to operate in unincorporated areas and continue criminal investigations initiated in Sunland Park throughout the county.

“This development ensures a faster and safer response for our community,” stated Sunland Park Acting Police Chief Andres Morales. “Previously, we often had to stop operations upon reaching county boundaries due to lack of jurisdiction. That will no longer be the case.”

One significant benefit of this change is tackling the ongoing problem of illegal shooting activities in an area known as “The Wall,” which has been troubling the neighboring community of Santa Teresa, Morales explained. Additionally, Sunland Park officers will now be able to respond more swiftly to incidents when a sheriff’s deputy isn’t immediately available.

“Everybody is aware of ‘The Wall.’ We can assist Doña Ana deputies in entering that area and enforcing the trespassing and firing in that area,” the police chief said. “The citizens of Santa Teresa, the communities of Valencia and Sunland Park itself, they’ve all voiced their concerns and that is one of the reasons we did the cross commissioning, so we can provide a safer community.”

KTSM reported last month that stray bullets struck homes in Santa Teresa. One resident said the bullets struck a part of the home where he tends to his dogs and could’ve been struck. The bullets also have strayed onto the Doña Ana County Jetport, occasionally damaging property or striking parked aircraft.

Sunland Park until very recently had been plagued by constant migrant smuggling incidents and injuries to people coming over the border wall or a mountain with Mexico on the other side. Although immigration enforcement is a federal matter, cross commissioning empowers local police to assist in migrant rescues in the desert just beyond city limits, Stewart said.

“This is a force multiplier to be able to now bring the southern part of the county into alliance all the way to the north,” Stewart said. “Here we have a situation in which people live in the city but often are calling about a situation that’s happening in unincorporated areas. […] Now Sunland Park can respond immediately to where they believe the problem is and then alert our patrol with just a phone call.”

Morales said his officers didn’t need additional training because they already met peace officer’s qualifications to match those of sheriff’s deputies.

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Border Patrol Boost: New Powers Granted to Police Officers to Tackle Crime

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Border Patrol Boost: New Powers Granted to Police Officers to Tackle Crime

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