New task force will provide feedback on Violence Intervention Program

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Back in August 2020, Mayor Tim Keller introduced a program that focuses on the small number of people disproportionately driving violent crime. Next month, the program will be getting some extra help.

Officials say the Violence Intervention Program is working, but not producing large-scale results.

Gerri Bachicha runs the program. She said they have two caseworkers working the entire city, and out of the nearly 200 people they have intervened with – 92% of them have not committed a new violent crime.

Bachicha would like to have 40 caseworkers divided among the city’s four quadrants to really make an impact.

"Our program needs to be accountable to the community and the community needs to hold us accountable," Bachicha said.

The mayor is now creating a task force made up of 14 community members. Starting in January, that task force will offer feedback for the program.

One of those community members is a father and a coach, Laquonte Barry.

"Honestly, man, I’m not going to lie to you, I think it’s going to be a lot of work," Barry said. "We got to get back to just teaching and loving. I think that’s the biggest thing, is we forgot how to teach and love."

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