Storekeepers call for beefed-up police presence in Santa Fe Plaza
Posted at: 09/18/2012 8:23 PM
By: Danielle Flores, KOB.com; Chris Ramirez, KOB Eyewitness News 4
Merchants in downtown Santa Fe have had enough with petty crime in the plaza, and they want more police to patrol the area more frequently.
The Santa Fe Plaza is a favorite of locals and tourists alike. By day, it is bustling with activity, but merchants said crime goes unchecked at night.
Storekeepers are falling victim to vandalism and theft. A window was smashed at Charlotte jewelry store, and thousands of dollars worth of jewels were stolen. Another business, Collected Works Bookstore, was vandalized when its windows were smashed on three different occasions.
Merchants are now calling for an increased presence of police officers in downtown at night.
KOB Eyewitness News 4 took their concerns to the Santa Fe police.
"Now with these current problems, I'm going to look into seeing if we can get more police presence at night," Santa Fe Police Sgt. Andrea Dobyns said. "Because we use it in the daytime and it keeps the merchants happy and the tourists safe, but now that we are seeing the nighttime problems, I think it's something that needs to be addressed."
Plaza merchants have gone one step further - they have emailed the mayor and city councilors, begging for more officers.
They said a safer plaza can only mean more tourists and more dollars.
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