APD highlights efforts to fight property crime, releases results of Holiday Tact Plan
Dec. 29, 2020
APD Interim Chief Harold Medina highlighted the department’s efforts to curb property crime, especially during the holidays.
“Property crime accounts for 75% of all crime in Albuquerque, and we have dramatically reduced those crimes during the past three years,” Chief Medina said during a news conference today. Medina highlighted a 39% decrease in auto theft between 2017 and 2019. Updated crime statistics for 2020 will be released after the start of the New Year.
Chief Medina attributed the drop in property crime to the aggressive efforts of APD’s Anti-Crime operations and a recent operation targeting property crime offenders during the holidays. The 2020 Holiday Tact Plan produced the following results:
- 44 felony arrests
- 29 stolen vehicles recovered
- 3 bait car arrests
- 10 firearms recovered.
Chief Medina highlighted one suspect who was arrested during the holiday operation as an example of repeat property crime offenders who are not held accountable for their crimes, despite multiple arrests.
Officers arrested Kameron Pennell, 33, on Nov. 28, 2020 during the holiday operation. Following a brief foot chase, officers recognized Pennell who fled from them just a month before. He was charged for felony possession of meth. He was released from jail, failed to show up in court and a new warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Pennell has been arrested or charged more than two dozen times for property crimes. Pennell’s crimes continue to escalate and in 2020 alone, he was arrested or charged five times in Sandoval County, Bernalillo County, and by APD for auto theft, fleeing police, robbery and most recently, narcotics.
“This is a cycle that is resulting from our broken criminal justice system that is not properly funded and can’t handle the strain,” Chief Medina said. “Despite these challenges, I want the public to be aware of how hard our officers are working every day to continue to make arrests and keep our community safe.”