Las Cruces business owner demands change from the city as her store suffers from crime and vandalism

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (CBS4) — A business owner in downtown Las Cruces continues to struggle with an uptick in crime and vandalism and is pleading with the city to address the issue.

The owner of The Little Shop on Main Patricia Jimenez told CBS4 On Your Side she has spent thousands of dollars repairing the damages done to her store, setting up security cameras and hiring her own security to combat the crime she has experienced.

And now she says, she's had enough.

"This happens every day, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. At least 10 incidents a day, minimum, that I have to deal with. Whether it’s homeless, somebody littering in front of my store, coming into my store, threatening. It’s non-stop," Jimenez said.

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Jimenez said she found weapons such as knives and rocks hidden around the outside of her business that were later used against her store.

"I had an individual who broke my windows and came back that same night or a few minutes later after he broke other storefronts’ windows to come back and pretty much break the rest of the windows in my store," said Jimenez.

Jimenez said she asked the city for help.

"They need to figure this out, and it’s not my job to tell them how to run their job if they’re not doing their job. They need to figure it out and make this a better place," said Jimenez.

Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima said many businesses shared the same complaint.

Miyagishima told CBS4 that the city hired security to patrol the downtown area overnight.

Miyagishima said crimes like shoplifting and vandalism that resulted in damages less than $1,000 were misdemeanors which he said go to the city judge.

"I’ve shown this former or current judge where this one person was arrested and let go Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday and Friday of the same week. That’s unacceptable," said Mayor of Las Cruces, Ken Miyagishima.

Miyagishima said he hoped changes within the court could change how long these people are held in jail.

"This city judge is not running again for re-election so hopefully we’ll see some new judges here that will now take their role a little bit more serious," said Miyagishima.

The city offered different programs that helped businesses cover the cost of vandalism.

While Jimenez did not qualify since her property damages did not happen within the required timeframe, the mayor encouraged business owners to reach out to him to find other solutions.

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