By: ABQRAW contributor Dan Klein (Retired Police Sergeant) Small Business owner
Posted: 1/24/2023 @ 12:45PM
As Bernalillo County District Attorney Raul Torrez was in a tough spot. No matter what he tried, crime continued to spiral out of control in his jurisdiction. Some of that fell upon his shoulders, he was the chief law enforcement officer for the county, but a lot of it was out of his control. There was a lot of finger pointing and not a lot of success. Being DA is a tough job.
Now we welcome Raul Torrez as New Mexico Attorney General, or as I like to call him, Raul 2.0. It’s only been a few weeks, but it seems that Raul Torrez has found his calling as the New Mexico Attorney General.
Raul Torrez has found his mojo as New Mexico Attorney General!
Raul has done three things already that has me very excited about his tenure as attorney general. First, he quashed having outside of New Mexico law firms handling cases. New Mexico has plenty of solid law firms to handle anything the attorney general might need. By using New Mexico firms, Raul is stating that he trusts his fellow New Mexicans to get the job done.
Second, Raul is suing a handful of New Mexico cities and counties that have recently passed ordinances to limit abortion, which limits a woman’s right to freely access healthcare. He is alleging that the local jurisdictions are overstepping their authority and that the New Mexico constitution protects a woman’s right to abortion and healthcare. It is refreshing to witness a public official who is willing to take on those who wish to deny New Mexico women their rights.
Third, Torrez is working with the New Mexico Legislature to create a special unit in the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office to represent children who are either at risk or already in the system. This would provide a watchdog that would hopefully protect at risk New Mexico children from slipping through the cracks of a leaking system. It would also help to ensure those children in the criminal justice system get a fair chance at reforming themselves into good citizens.
With the failures of CYFD and the criminal justice system, when it comes to New Mexico children, this is a giant step in the right direction. By having this unit of attorneys working for the New Mexico Attorney General, they will have clout and the power to get things done.
These are just the honeymoon days for Raul Torrez, but if he keeps marching in this direction, the honeymoon as attorney general is going to last for a long time. That would be great for New Mexico.