Daily Lobo 03/03/2024

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NMSUPD uses body-cameras; UNMPD doesn’t

By Lily Alexander & Lauren Lifke

The New Mexico State University Police Department has been utilizing body-worn cameras since 2011. The University of New Mexico Police Department has not.

NMSUPD began using bodyworn cameras in response to industry standards and best nationwide law enforcement practices, according to Justin Dunivan, Deputy Chief of NMSUPD.

“This program has been a great success for our department,” Dunivan said.

Created amidst Black Lives Matter protests in response to the murder of George Floyd by the Minneapo-

Have a bawl

Inside this Lobo

FERNANDEZ: UNM Children’s Hospital to give away free gun locks to community (pg. 2)

ALEXANDER: Have a ball at Albuquerque’s new dog parks (pg. 3)

BRENES: Review: Querencia shows a love for home through dance (pg. 4)

lis Police Department, a 2020 New Mexico statute requires most law enforcement agencies to use and have policies on body-worn cameras. This law excludes university police departments, according to Larry Bitsoih, UNMPD lieutenant and public information officer.

“Unlike other local law enforcement agencies, the bill excludes university police departments,” Bitsoih said.

UNMPD utilizes audio recording devices, according to its Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) Manual. The SOP – last revised in 2022 – states that

the devices are used “to guard against false claims of improper conduct and as a tool to de-escalate situations when the citizen becomes aware that the contact is being recorded.”

The intention of the 2020 law was to include university police departments because they employ peace officers, as defined in section one of the law, according to Benjamin Baker, Senior Public Safety Advisor to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

“Absolutely every person that … is commissioned, salaried and as a full-time peace officer must (utilize body-worn cameras),” Baker said.

“There’s no sort of implied or hidden exemption for universities contained within here.”

The Daily Lobo reached out to Senator Joseph Cervantes (D), the sponsor of the bill, four times for comment and received no response.

“If you’re at UNM and you’re a police officer: body-cam,” Baker said. “There’s no doubt in my brain, having participated in the legislative process when this was being contemplated in testimony, I think there’s no way (university police are exempt).”

LoboEats app targets food insecurity with free event leftovers

By Elizabeth Secor @esecor2003

This past February, the University of New Mexico launched LoboEats, a mobile app created to help connect students and faculty on Main Campus with available, free, leftover food from campus events.

The LoboEats app was developed by a team of Honors students led by Sarita Cargas, UNM Honors College Associate Professor to help combat food insecurity at the University. In 2022, the app created by UNM alum Biraj Silwal won the UNM and Central New Mexico Community College App Contest.

Rebecca Brown joined LoboEats as the Information Technologies Project Manager in 2023.

“This application allows the student body to benefit from free food while also allowing them to participate in a sustainable practice that reduces unnecessary waste on campus,” Brown wrote in an email.

“The application opens the door to other sustainable efforts on campus and pushes the student body to get involved.”

Cargas initially brought forward the idea of creating an app to help combat food insecurity on campus following the results of the April 2023 state-wide Basic Needs Project survey, which researched different insecurities on campus.

“We found significant amounts of food insecurity (in the study),” Cargas said. “So, I developed a class as

a response to that called the Human Rights of College Students.”

After the contest, the group joined with UNM Information Technologies to make the app available campuswide. Alongside Brown, Tuan Bui – UNM associate director of core IT services – helped lead the IT team in charge of the app, Cargas said.

UNM IT oversaw developments, functionality and the addition of critical components to the app to “help realize the benefits among the student body,” Brown wrote.

“An example of a critical component would be the map feature,” Brown wrote. “The map is an essential requirement to help direct students on campus to the food posting location.”

Event staff can post about leftover food for students, faculty and staff to come grab. There is, however, a time limit for students to claim the available food.

“We’ve made a decision that the food would always be available for as long as it lasts or 20 minutes – whichever one comes first,” Cargas said. “But 20 minutes for food safety reasons and in consideration of staff time.”

The team worked with the head of UNM Food, Amanda Gerard, to address the subjects of staff staying longer, food safety and categories listed on the app – like vegetarian or not vegetarian, Cargas said.

The Basic Needs study found that 55% of UNM Main Campus students and 22% of faculty and staff reported they faced food insecurities in the prior 30 days. The app is also available for faculty and

staff to utilize, Cargas said.

“It’s not just for students, because everybody forgets their lunch once in a while or runs out of time,” Cargas said. “And research also shows that there’s faculty and staff food insecurity, so we’re not limiting it to anybody – except you have to have a UNM email account.”

Elizabeth Secor is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com on Twitter @esecor2003

Saturday,

BRENES: Photo story: Hands-off Rafah: Protest for Palestine (pg. 4)

BERNARD: Albuquerque brings the energy to affordable transportation (pg. 5)

BULGER: Woman’s Basketball: Lobos win in a thriller against San Diego State (pg. 8)

The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895

12-year-old Dezi the dog catches his breath after playing hard at the new Bennie Hargrove mini dog park on Saturday, March 2.

UNM Police Department Graphic.

Photo courtesy of UNM Newsroom.

Sydney Freland/ Daily Lobo/ @DailyLobo

Courtesy Photo / Daily Lobo / @DailyLobo

UNM Children’s Hospital gives away free gun locks to community

By Maria Fernandez @DailyLobo

While supplies last, The University of New Mexico Children’s Hospital is giving away free gun locks – devices that prevent firearms from discharging – upon request in response to the recent rise in gun-related injuries to children.

The program is in collaboration with the New Mexico Department of Health, which provided UNM Children’s Hospital with 3,000 gun locks. Additional shipments from the NMDOH to UNMCH locations across the state are available for free upon request, according to safestoragenm.org.

“(UNMCH) received 3,000 gun locks, and they are immediately available at any UNM pediatric primary care clinic. They can also be requested from the UNM Pediatric Emergency Department and Pediatric Urgent Care Clinic,” Anna Duran, Associate Chief Medical Officer at UNM Children’s Hospital, said.

The gun locks are a step towards preventing accidental firings of guns if they land in the hands of children, according to a UNM Health Sciences Newsroom article.

The decision comes after the NMDOH launched safestoragenm. org with the nonpartisan organization, New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence, in 2023 to increase safer gun storage, lower injury rates and

lower death rates due to loaded weapons in the state. The hope is that by equipping New Mexicans with safe gun protocols and knowledge, it will save the lives of children and adults in the state from preventable injuries and deaths, according to safestoragenm.org.

New Mexico ranked third in the United States for firearm mortality in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The NMDOH published statistics that revealed an increasing rate of hospitalization for gun-related injuries among people under the age of 18, with the majority of those patients being between the ages of 14 and 17 from 2022-2023.

Gun violence has been a recent focus of the New Mexico legislature, following the gun death of an 11-year-old after an Isotopes game in September. The shooting led Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to institute a temporary ban on carrying firearms in public, which was later struck down in court and limited only to parks and play grounds, according to AP.

In December 2023, an Atrisco Heritage High School student died from a gunshot wound after he and another student were handling guns in the school parking lot.

“Pediatric death by firearms is the number one cause of death for (people) ages 0-24. All too often, we hear about the tragic, usually pre-

ventable, injuries to children related to firearms,” Duran said.

In a statement, Miranda Viscoli — co-president of New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence — said the organization is fully in support of the gun lock program and can of -

fer gun safety cards in both Spanish and English.

“We will continue to hand out gun locks to any parent who requests one, for as long as our supplies last,” Duran said. “We hope through this initiative we can help decrease the

number of pediatric injuries and deaths associated with firearms.”

Maria Fernandez is a freelance reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com

The University of New Mexico Childrens’ Hospital on Thursday, Feb. 29.

Maria Fernandez/ Daily Lobo/ @DailyLobo

Review: Querencia shows a love for home through dance

time with Querencia on Thursday.

Querencia “comes from the word ‘querer’ — to love. It means love of place and people. Querencia can refer to your place of refuge, your home or your homeland,” artistic directors Marisol Encinas and Amanda Hamp wrote in the program.

On Thursday, Feb. 29, dancers gathered at Rodey Theater at the University of New Mexico to put on their yearly Querencia performance, which gorgeously was brought together through the contemporary dance and flamenco departments.

Before the show, it was intriguing to imagine how the dancers would embody meanings of home, nurture and safeness. Once the performance began, the audience was greeted with a lively performance full of vibrant colors and skilled dancers who interpreted the work of choreographers through their dancing bodies.

Gianna Silva — a contemporary dancer — performed for the second

“Querencia means home, because not only is the stage my home, but (so is) dancing with people that I consider my family. It is good to have that love there,” Silva said.

“Genesis One” by Gregory Maqoma brought the contemporary dancers to stand up against the genocide and conflicts that are currently happening throughout the world. The piece had microphones, live graffiti and a sense of nakedness by modifying the black box and lifting the curtains all the way up. The sequences and the verses gave context to the importance of peace in humanity.

The use of space, integration of holding hands and forming lines showed the sentiment of the whole group.

This is Isabella Alderete’s last year performing, and she said Querencia has been close to her heart because of the creative liberty dancers are granted to contribute to the pieces with their own styles.

“(Querencia) is very special because we each had our own little things like our own movement and

our own style to incorporate in all of the pieces,” Alderete said.

Besides the traditionality of flamenco dance, the uniqueness and femininity from Alderete’s style was clear through her gestures and devotion in the intensity of the piece.

Melissa Brigs brought passion and presence to her performance of “This House.” It was a clear example of the incorporation of personal style. She showed a contemporary rendition of what it is like to move the furniture in your house around. Alongside the physicality that it took, the aerial movement of the chairs coming down from the ceiling made it aesthetically fabulous.

The flamenco faculty showed two pieces — one traditional and the other contemporary. This was wellmarked by the type of costumes, lights and music they performed, as well as the sound of their flamenco shoes tapping the rhythm on stage.

“I draw inspiration from the other dancers I work with, and seeing their styles and how hard they and we work for what we do specifically,” Alderete said.

It was a beautiful show that opened the space to think about what “home” really is and how we can transcend a simple term by using the intangible art of dance.

Valeria Brenes is a freelance reporter with the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo

see more photos page 8

Hands off Rafah Protest for Palestine

Dancers are dressed and ready to perform at the Fine Arts Building on Thursday, Feb. 29.

Martin Quintana poses for a photo backstage at the Fine Arts Building on Thursday, Feb. 29. (left)

Protesters line up for food at a Palestine protest at Tiguex Park on Saturday, March 2.

Protesters gather to eat food at a Palestine protest at Tiguex Park on Saturday, March 2.

Valeria Brenes / Daily Lobo / @DailyLobo

The

By Nate Bernard @DailyLobo

$50,798, according to Find My Electric. The program allows people to rent electric vehicles for $5 per hour or $50 per day plus tax, according to Stefenie Griggs, the program manager for Forth’s locations in the Southwest.

“We fully recognize that new EVs aren’t totally accessible for all folks, and especially if you’re talking about folks that are low income. The program is meant to bridge that gap in access to EVs to make sure everyone can have access to clean and sustainable transportation,” Griggs said.

On Feb. 22, the program began at the PAH! Hiland Plaza apartments on Central Ave., according to a City of Albuquerque news release. While the EV will be situated by the apartments, anyone may rent the vehicles. The apartments

are suited for deaf residents, which contributed to the decision for the program to be implemented there, Griggs said.

“There were a number of factors that went into this decision-making process. Part of the draw to accessibility was focusing on low income communities,” Griggs said. “They go even a step further in the sense that their housing site is specifically designed for folks of deaf, deaf-blind and hard-of-hearing communities. So (the program is) just as an additional layer for equity and accessibility to EV technology that for many communities is not accessible.”

The City of Albuquerque, Forth, Public Service Company of New Mexico and Sol Housing collaborated in launching the project. The project is a part of Mayor Keller’s goal to make Albuquerque more sustainable, according to the news release. Albuquerque marks Forth’s first car-sharing program within the Southwest, according to Forth’s website.

“Electric vehicle car-sharing programs like AMP fill this gap by providing affordable, convenient

and environmentally friendly transportation solutions tailored to the specific needs of frontline communities,” the news release states.

An additional EV car-sharing location will be implemented in the future in Sante Fe, according to the program’s website. Currently, GoForth offers two electric vehicles with two accompanying chargers in Albuquerque, Griggs said. It is unclear if more vehicles will be added in Albuquerque.

To rent the vehicles, users must download the MDO Carshare app, available on Google Play and the Apple App Store. Users must be at least 21 and have a clean driving record, according to Griggs.

“I would say we’ve seen folks that travel to urban centers to go to a doctor’s appointment … We’ve seen folks use a vehicle just to run errands, take their kids to school, take their dogs to a vet,” Griggs said. “We’ve definitely seen this program make an impact on folks.

Nate Bernard is a beat reporter with the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo

April

Cars charge in the Walmart parking lot on Carlisle Blvd. NE on Sunday, March 3.

Katrina Estrada / @rinaphoto / Daily Lobo

Sunshine Theater

Twiztid * Blaze * ABK * Reddstar

Friday March 22nd 2024 | 8:00pm

$27-$77 | 7:00pm Doors | All Ages 120 Central Ave SW, 87102

ASUNM Southwest Film Center

Playing on March 22: No Country for Old Men

Free Admission, Free Concessions. SUB Theatre, Room 1003 6 pm

Chicharra Poetry Slam Festival March 21 - March 23

Free Workshops | Open Mics Daily www.cicadapoetryslamfestival

The Vintage Hippie Joint Vintage hippie clothing store.

Wed-Sun: 12pm-5pm 323 Romero St., #3

Saturday

Test With Truman Be Empowered. Know Your Status. 801 Encino Pl NE 505-272-1312

Quirky Used Books & More Fiction & Nonfiction Sat: 11am – 5pm 120 Jefferson St NE

Outpost Performance Space Student tickets only $15 outpostspace.org

Sunshine Theater

Zoso The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience

$22 | March 23rd 2024 • 21+ Ages 120 Central Ave SW, 87102

ASUNM Southwest Film Center

Playing on March 23: Mystery Movie

More

More than 16,000 Used Books

Fri: 11am – 5pm 120 Jefferson St NE

Outpost Performance Space

Roust the House teen performances 7pm; All Ages; Tickets $3

Featuring Something Moronic (Noah Street, Jack Fredine, Max Sisneros, and Eli Sisneros), The Hunnies (Abbie Gibson, Kelsa Mendoza, Michael Elkin, and Isaac Katzenberger), Delilah Baker, Sydney Dexel, and Raliegh Megofna. outpostspace.org

Free Admission, Free Concessions. SUB Theatre, Room 1003 6 pm

Chicharra Poetry Slam Festival March 21 - March 23

Free Workshops |

Women’s basketball: Lobos lose in a thriller against San Diego State

By Thomas Bulger @thomasbulger10

The Univeristy of New Mexico women’s basketball team lost to the Nevada Wolf Pack 83-82 for their final regular season game at The Pit. After an Aniyah Augmon jump shot put the team up by two points with four seconds remaining, Nevada’s Lexie Givens rebounded a missed three-pointer for a layup and gave her team the win with an and-1 free throw.

The Lobos fell to 11-6 in conference play but are in second place overall in the conference standings with one regular season game remaining. Wyoming also has a record of 11-6 but the University of New Mexico swept the Cowgirls in the season series. With a win on Tuesday, the Lobos could clinch the second seed for the conference tournament, but if Wyoming and Boise State win their respective games and the Lobos lose, they will fall to the fourth seed.

The Lobos had five players in double-digit scoring. Paula Reus led the team with 21 points and six rebounds. Augmon had a double-double of 15 points and 10 assists.

The Wolfpack had four players in double-digit scoring, but it was Givens who dominated the game. Along with the game-winning free throw, she had 27 points, eight rebounds and two steals.

After the game, Vianè Cumber was asked if there was something Nevada was exploiting on defense, but she said Nevada was simply making their shots.

“They made a lot of shots and we tried to adjust. It was just one of those games,” Cumber said.

It was an extremely balanced game from the two teams. UNM outscored Nevada in points in the paint 34-30, second chance points 17-16 and bench points 19-18. The difference came in the fourth quarter when Nevada was able to make one more shot.

The Lobos got off to a fast start in the first quarter. Cumber and Reus combined for 7-11 for three-pointers in the quarter. UNM led 31-14 going into the second quarter.

After an Augmon jump shot put the Lobos up 39-20, Nevada’s offense came to life – going on an 8-0 run and scored back-to-back three-pointers later in the quarter to significantly cut into the Lobo lead. Playing efficiently going 5-10 from the three-point line and 11-17 in field goals put them down 51-43 at the end of first half.

Nevada continued to chip away

at the Lobos lead throughout the third quarter. Reus hit timely threepointers near the start and end of the quarter to protect the lead, but the Wolfpack continued to make their shots and get to the free throw line going 6-8 into the quarter. The Lobos led 68-66 going into the fourth.

Victoria Davis tied the game up right at the start of the quarter, and a pair of free throws gave Nevada their first lead of the game. After Nevada went up by five, the Lobos offense exploded for a 7-0 run, but with a three-pointer, Givens gave the lead right back to Nevada.

With 2:15 left in the game, Lara Langermann tied the game 80-80 for the Lobos with a three-pointer. Then, both offenses went cold. It wasn’t until there were four seconds that Augmon took the lead for the Lobos but it was followed up by a great offensive rebound, layup and clutch free throw by Givens to seal the game for Nevada with 0.7 seconds left.

After the game, Head Coach Mike Bradbury gave credit to Nevada but, when asked, shared his gripes with the officiating.

“I guess (officials) call what they see. It’s the first time we haven’t shot more free throws (than an opponent). We spent the entire game driving it at the basket, and for some reason it

wasn’t a foul,” Bradbury said.

The Lobos went 9-13 in free throws for the game and Nevada was 15-18.

The Lobos will play their final regular season game on Tuesday, March 5 against Fresno State.

Thomas Bulger is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @thomasbulger10

Guard Nyah Wilson (#3) goes to score a basket at The Pit on Wednesday, Feb. 28.

Aaron Beltran/ Daily Lobo/ @DailyLobo

In November, Peter Simonson

New Mexico American Civil Liberties Union Executive Director – told the Daily Lobo he believes that there was an oversight in legislation when the bill was created.

“Unfortunately, there actually is a loophole. That means that the law does not strictly cover university police departments,” Simonson said. “There really is no conceivable reason why University Police should be

exempt from coverage of that law.”

As of 2016, 47% of general-purpose law enforcement agencies in the United States used body-worn cameras, according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics. The primary reasons agencies acquired the devices were to improve officer safety, increase evidence quality, reduce civilian complaints and reduce agency liability, the BJS found.

“This technology has proven to be

a great asset for accountability, transparency, crime scene documentation and for additional evidentiary value,” Dunivan said.

NMSUPD’s Policies and Procedures Manual states officers should activate their body-worn cameras whenever they are responding to calls for service or initiating encounters with the public, as well as whenever officers believe the use “would be beneficial to their police duties.”

The manual was last revised in 2023 and reviewed this year.

“We continue to strive to foster a safe environment, free of crime, that is conducive to and supports the educational, outreach and public service missions of our university,” Dunivan said.

Lily Alexander is the news editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @llilyalexander

Lauren Lifke is the managing editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at managingeditor@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @lauren_lifke

Bodycam from page 1

Querenacia photos from page 4

Isabella Alderete gets ready backstage at the Fine Arts Building on Thursday, Feb. 29.

Flamenco Dancers prepare to perform at the Fine Arts Building on Thursday, Feb. 29.

Flamenco Dancers get ready backstage in the Fine Arts Building on Thursday, Feb. 29.

Valeria Brenes/ Daily Lobo/ @DailyLobo

Valeria Brenes/ Daily Lobo/ @DailyLobo

Valeria Brenes/ Daily Lobo/ @DailyLobo

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