Administration Policy Priorities
See the Keller Administration Policy Priorities for 2026.
Metro Crime Initiative Metro HousingInitiative Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety
Fighting crime and fixing the broken criminal justice system are the top priorities in Albuquerque. Through the third Albuquerque Metro Crime Initiative (MCI), we are pursuing concrete actions in the 2026 legislative session to make our communities safer now.
- State funding and direct participation in warrant backlog initiative
- Enact stricter street racing penalties
- Common sense regulations on large capacity magazines and bump stocks
- Fix “asset forfeiture” law to increase funding for public education & support drug trafficking investigations
- Funding for regular presence of New Mexico State Police (NMSP) in ABQ with a traffic unit to patrol highways and dedicated narcotics and auto theft investigators
- Enhance criminal sentencing for road rage and violent crimes on the roadways
- Prioritize enforcement efforts against drug trafficking and distribution networks
- Extend the referendum on violent juvenile diversion programs
- Increase penalties for assault and battery of public transportation workers
- Public Safety Enhanced Retirement for Prison Transport Officers and Transit Sergeants
- Deter Copper Theft by Increasing Regulations for Those who Sell Copper.
- Funding to support officer overtime costs.
- Strategically Expand gunshot detection technology to cover the entire city.
- Stronger penalties for possessing firearms in drug distribution crimes
- New charges for firing off a gun in public
- New charges for carrying a firearm while intoxicated
- Fund New Mexico Office of Gun Violence Prevention
- Expand ACS’s Violence Intervention Program to all high schools
- Remove the preemption on cities from addressing assault rifle proliferation
- Implement “Duke City Stats,” to other jurisdictions in crime strategy and tracking.
- Establish a dedicated ‘fentanyl court’
- Establish a fentanyl specific response team
- Continued improvement to the pretrial detention system
- More jail time for retail theft offenders who brandish a gun during a crime
- Enhance domestic violence penalties and breadth of laws
- Designate 2nd degree homicide by vehicle to a serious violent offense
- Expand addiction programs with emphasis on fentanyl treatment
- Capital funding for facility improvements at the Family Advocacy Center
- Fund peer support programs for crime victims
- Incentivize new provider services
- Expand treatment programs for mental/behavioral health problems
- Establish immediate options for behavioral health and addiction services as an alternative to jail time
- Career training in behavioral health for underserved youth
- Contract to transport inmates to jail
- Establish security branch to monitor prisoners while at UNMH
- Develop behavioral health training/ career path programs
- Establish and fund a community victim’s ombudsman
- Establish medical check protocols between UNM Hospital and Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC)
- Notify law enforcement when offenders are deemed incompetent by the courts
- Require parole/probation officers to notify police and victims when offenders are released
- Fund broader specialty courts to address homelessness, addiction, and mental health cases
- Improvements to conservatorship programs for severely addicted
- Work with Bernalillo County to identify and resolve bottlenecks when individuals are taken to jail
- Create a specialty court for auto theft
- Mandate that prosecutors utilize habitual offender enhancements
- Require use of statewide database for firearm prohibitions
- Enable mental health providers to report individuals under their care to the National Instant Criminal Check system
- Address the influence ofsocial media on youth to commit acts of violence.
- Increase recruitment and retention of police officers.
- Embrace new technologies to support crime fighting while creating guardrails to protect privacy.
- Retired Officer Wellness Program.
We are committed to combating homelessness and expanding affordable housing by forging strong partnerships with government agencies, non-profits, and community groups to pool resources and develop actionable strategies. Our immediate focus is to enhance and expand our existing support services, which address mental health, substance abuse, and other underlying issues; provide emergency shelters to offer relief; strengthen our prevention efforts with targeted rental assistance and eviction prevention programs; and identify transformative policies that address systemic barriers and create lasting change.
- Protect renters through a Tenant Bill of Rights
- Pass a Manufactured Housing Bill of Rights
- Establish Vacant and Dilapidated buildings policies
- With the State and CABQ Municipal Redevelopment Agency, establish additional TIFs and BIDs
- Expand Tax Abatement areas
- Create Zoning Changes for additional housing development
- Enact State-Level changes to Anti-Donation laws to allow for more housing development
- Invest in City’s Gateway facilities
- Investments for land banking for the construction of affordable housing
- Establishing and supporting micro communities
- Sell City land to fund housing
- Enhance Housing Voucher System
- Investments and incentives for affordable housing
- Hotel Conversions
- Relax burdensome regulations that will help create more Safe Outdoor Spaces.
Through our Vision Zero program, we use a data-driven and safe systems approach to create safer streets for everyone - whether we're walking, biking, driving, or taking transit, and regardless of age or ability. The City is committed to collaborating with our state partners to pass policies that will make our communities safer and save lives.
Update state laws regarding pedestrian and cyclist safety, including requiring education in Drivers Education Courses.