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Gun Violence Task Force

Information about the Gun Violence Task Force.

Contact Information

Mayor Keller’s Gun Violence Task Force Executive Order

Task Force: Meeting Info Resources Members

Task Force Committee: Meeting Info Resources

Task Force Meeting Information

Gun Violence Task Force meetings are held on the third Monday of every month through electronic media, zoom. Gun Violence Task Force Meetings are public meetings. Zoom invites are included agendas. Please view agendas, minutes and any recorded trainings below.

Join the next Zoom meeting by going to: https://cabq.zoom.us/j/82708250273 

This link was updated on September 19, 2023. 

The Gun Violence Task Force schedule is as follows:

2023

  • January 16th No meeting MLK Holiday
  • February 27th MOVED due to President's Day Holiday Meeting Agenda & Notes
  • March 20th Agenda and Notes
  • April 17th Agenda and Notes
  • May 15th Agenda and Notes
  • June 19th
  • July 17th
  • August 21st
  • September 18th
  • October 16th

2022

Gun Violence Task Force Committees

Please contact Nichole Rogers at [email protected] or Brittney Barreras at [email protected] if you would like to be part of a Gun Violence Task Force committee.

Gun Violence Task Force Committee Meeting Information

Committee Resources

Gun Violence Task Force Resources

Learn more about our task force, similar task forces around the country, and more.

Gun Violence Task Force Members

Below is the full list of the Gun Violence Task Force Members who will be examining and making recommendations on how to fill the current gaps in responding to this issue.

Tanya Tijerina - Clinical Operations Manager Second Judicial District Court

Tanya Tijerina, LCSW, has a Master's Degree in Clinical Social Work, with an emphasis in Substance Abuse and Co-Occurring Disorders. Her professional experience includes working in both inpatient and outpatient treatment settings, providing substance abuse treatment to adults and youth involved in the criminal justice system. Tanya, comes from a long line of justice-involved family members. With 5 younger brothers who spent much of their years battling substance abuse disorders and mental health conditions. Tanya has dedicated her life to helping people access the treatment and services needed to promote positive behavioral changes, quality of life and overall health and well-being. Tanya currently manages multiple treatment court programs within the Second Judicial District Court. She was also a part of the core team that developed the Young Adult Court program in 2016, a program she continues to manage today.

Amanda Davis - Business Solutions by Design, LLC

Amanda Davis is a Small Business owner and Small Business advocate. Amanda pursued a degree from UNM and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Science with a concentration in Accounting. After starting her career working for local CPA firms, she purchased her home in 2009 where she currently lives and operates her home-based business. Amanda started her business in 2014 and has grown to need 4 bookkeepers and a virtual assistant, she is poised to continue to grow. Amanda has proven her drive to support our community through her volunteer work with local organizations such as the Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce, NAWBO NM, SCORE, and WESST. Amanda is also a gun owner, with a concealed carry permit and is interested in weighing in on gun violence issues in the City.

Louise Blazquez - Community Advocate

Louise Blazquez is a community member living in the International District, having relocated with her family to New Mexico over ten years ago. Blazquez is an Indigenous, Bilingual/Bicultural, Spanish language speaker. Currently, she serves as a case manager providing resources for disenfranchised families in Albuquerque, NM. She is a member of Families United for Education (FUE), and a voting member of the Bernalillo County Behavioral Health Community Supports Subcommittee.

Prior to working case management, she was employed as a public school teacher, student success manager within community colleges, assistant professor at New Mexico State University, adjunct at Central New Mexico Community College, and Albuquerque Public Schools Family Liaison.

Blazquez and her family volunteered and eventually led a non-profit for over two decades titled: Youth Struggling for Survival (YSS), before relocating to New Mexico. YSS was youth driven, adult supported and entailed restorative justice, peace-making, and transformational practices. The organization evolved to include advocating and supporting "interventionists" who were doing the street outreach work, and those who were formerly imprisoned to become mentors/coaches.

LaQuonte Barry - Grandmas House BBQ and BLACK NEW MEXICO MOVEMENT

LaQuonte Barry is a 33-year-old African American male who is the founder of BLACK NEW MEXICO MOVEMENT and Owner of Grandmas House BBQ. LaQuonte has been fighting for change throughout New Mexico since 2019. LaQuonte wants to see change within the city to benefit our youth. LaQuonte also coaches youth sports so he always tries to be a father figure to the youth in the community.

Suzy Sanchez-Beg - Endorphin Power Company

Sanchez-Beg was impacted by gun violence at an early age, her father was killed by gun violence. Ms. Beg is a community navigator with Community Based Crime Reduction through the District Attorney's Office. Ms. Beg does street level outreach to unhoused and underserved populations in the International District. Beg serves as Chair of the Community Policing Council for the SE area Command.

Alicia Otero - New Mexico Crusaders for Justice

Alicia Otero is one of the founders of the New Mexico Crusaders for justice. She works with families of victims of gun violence. Mrs. Otero is also a mother who lost her son to gun violence this year. She believes there are many holes in the way things are handled with families of homicide. She believes she can fill these holes in and work with the families through her advocacy.

Angel Alire - Community Advocate

Angel Alire lost her son to gun violence this year. Ms. Alire is a community organizer and recently worked with National organizers to bring the National Gun Violence Memorial work to Albuquerque. Ms. Alire wants to work with Gun Violence Reduction Initiatives.

Melanie Martinez - Adult Probation and Parole

Director Melanie Martinez has dedicated more than 20 years of public service and leadership to the State of New Mexico, 17 of those with New Mexico Corrections Department, Probation/Parole Division. She is responsible for over 14,000 individuals on probation and parole supervision in the community. During her time with New Mexico Corrections Department, PPD, she has implemented a new strategic framework, focusing on offender rehabilitation and reduction in recidivism.

Director Martinez started her career in Probation/Parole as an Officer. She transferred briefly to the New Mexico Corrections Training Academy where she was a Chief over the Basic, Advanced and International Training Divisions. She returned to the Probation/Parole Division as a Supervisor, Region Manger, Deputy Director and currently serves as the Director. Martinez is a member of the Criminal Justice Reform Committee, Criminal Judicial Committees throughout the State and various violent intervention programs throughout New Mexico.

Jeanne Masterson - Juvenile Probation Assistant Deputy Director of Juvenile Justice Field Services

Jeanne Masterson has worked for CYFD for nearly 27 years and is currently the Associate Deputy Director for Juvenile Justice Services, Juvenile Probation field services. Jeanne supports the Central Region for the state which encompasses Bernalillo, Sandoval, Valencia, Socorro, Torrance, Cibola and Sierra Counties.

Nichole Rogers - Office of Equity and Inclusion African American Community and Business Liaison

Nichole Rogers is the City of Albuquerque’s African-American Community and Business Leader Liaison. Rogers joins the City with experience in both the public and private sectors. Previously she served as a Staff Development Specialist with UNM Hospitals in the Department of Nursing Excellence.

Rogers has been an active member in the community as an organizer and advocate for Black children and families in Albuquerque, including co-developing Juneteenth celebrations, vaccination outreach events and other community endeavors. She received her Associates Degree from Central New Mexico Community College.

Rogers was born in Las Vegas, New Mexico and has lived in Albuquerque for 28 years.

Rogers was instrumental in helping the City get a complete count for the 2020 Census by completing extensive outreach and education in the African American community about why answering the census was so important.

Deputy Chief Cecily Barker - APD Investigative Bureau

Deputy Chief Cecily Barker was born and raised in Albuquerque and joined APD in 2004. Prior to receiving her promotion to Deputy Chief of the Investigative Bureau, Barker served as the Chief of Staff. Prior to her time as Chief of Staff, DC Barker was the Northwest Area Commander.

While in the Field Services Bureau, Barker was a Field Training Officer, Gang Suppression Officer and Crisis Intervention Officer. In 2012, she was promoted to Sergeant at the Violent Crimes Division, working in FASTT, Missing Persons and Cold Case. In 2017, she was promoted to Lieutenant of Property Crimes/Juvenile Division and Criminalistics Division and in 2020 was promoted to Commander.

Charlie Verploegh - Assistant Director, Department of Behavioral Health Services

Charlie Verploegh oversees the Bernalillo County Behavioral Health Initiative. She received her BA in Sociology from Smith College in North Hampton Massachusetts and their MA and PhD from the University of Iowa in Sociology.

Charlie has a background in data analysis, research evaluation, and social psychology. Charlie currently oversees the Behavioral Health Initiative, a recurring Gross Receipts Tax, used to fund community providers for behavioral health services not otherwise funded.

Angel Garcia - Manager Violence Intervention Program Social Services – Albuquerque Family and Community Services Department

Angel Garcia was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Angel became a product of his environment. From age 12 to 33 years old, an active gang member, a four-time convicted felon, spent most of his adult life in prison. He moved to Albuquerque in hopes of changing his life. His first move upon arrival was to enroll at CNM. After enrolling at CNM, his life changed beyond his wildest dreams. He now works for Mayor Tim Keller’s Violence Intervention Program as the Social Services Program Manager, proving that anyone can change for the better and make a difference with the right resources and support

Task Force Recommendations

The Task Force will develop a set of SMARTIE recommendations of actions the City can take to address gun violence as follows:

  1. Recommendations for how to improve cooperation among city departments and outside entities with respect to gun violence issues;
  2. Recommendations for substantive system change in City policies and ordinances aimed at reducing instances of gun violence;
  3. Recommendations for how to ensure culturally responsive, trauma and equity informed frameworks are used to guide effective gun violence strategies;
  4. Recommendations for how to effectively increase services through grants and programs, and other new sources of funding to ensure resources and capacity to build community strategies, aligned with the Violence Intervention Program's two-year strategic priorities.


What are SMARTIE* Indicators of Success?

*Adapted from Montgomery County, Maryland, DHHS Data to Enhance Effective Practice Workgroup (2018). Performance Measurement for Program Monitoring and Evaluation: SMARTIE Framework for Measurement Selection (pg.27).

A png of the SMARTIE Indicators of Success chart.