Crime Stats in New Mexico Keep ‘Breaking Bad’ for Governor, Law Enforcement

It’s not just bad press from “Breaking Bad.” New Mexico, the setting for the wildly popular AMC crime drama, is one of the most crime-ridden states in the country, with the second-highest rate of violent crime in the U.S. and the highest rate of property crime. The state posted 857 violent crimes and 3,420 property crimes per 100,000 residents, according to the most recent FBI statistics. The national rate was about 369 violent crimes and 2,200 property crimes per 100,000 residents during the same time period. Alaska is the only state with a higher rate of violent crime. In New Mexico’s biggest city, Albuquerque, residents’ chances are one in 11 of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime. With a crime rate of 89 per 1,000 residents, Albuquerque has one of the highest crime rates in America. And it’s not just urban centers like Albuquerque. Smaller New Mexico cities like Clovis, Hobbs and Roswell are ranked near the bottom of “safest small cities” according to a recent study by the financial analysis website WalletHub. In fact, the city of Farmington is one of the 20 least-safe communities in the entire country, according to the WalletHub rankings...MORE