Shopping cart and solicitation ordinances up for highly anticipated vote in Las Cruces

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KFOX14) — Las Cruces City Council has some highly anticipated agenda items up for a vote during Monday’s meeting.

Las Cruces Police Chief Jeremy Story is looking to implement a new city ordinance that aims to clean up the city by tackling stolen shopping carts.

RELATED: Las Cruces Police Chief proposes ordinance to curb shopping cart thefts, gets pushback

It’s an idea that Story has previously told KFOX14 could possibly lower homelessness and crime as the ordinance would allow Las Cruces judges to assign community service or treatment to those who cannot afford to pay a fine.

“Shopping carts seem like such a trivial thing, but the reality is they’re everywhere if you open your eyes or you start looking for shopping carts and all the trash and debris everywhere,” Story said. “We’re trying to address crime, and hopefully in doing so we’re allowing these people to get the services by plugging them into those services.”

The ordinance would also hold businesses accountable for keeping track of their carts.

RELATED: Las Cruces stores may face fines for unmanaged carts, police chief emphasizes teamwork

The main priority is to address the theft of the shopping carts, according to Chief Story in a previous interview with KFOX14.

Chief Story said the ordinances would allow his officers to enforce stricter penalties as well as connect people to services such as counseling, treatment for substance use and mental health disorders, as part of their sentencing or plea agreement.

RELATED:Las Cruces Police Chief pushes for change amid rising crime and homelessness

Story also proposed an ordinance that would prohibit solicitations and standing or loitering on or near a street or highway.

The solicitation ordinance applies to aggressive solicitors asking for money on private property.

“It’s not somebody asking politely for money that does happen. That’s not the problem. It’s not what we get complaints about generally, it’s the person who is at your door before you can even open or follows the person even after they’ve told them no,” Chief Story said during a town hall meeting back in April.

RELATED:Las Cruces police propose laws against aggressive solicitation, shopping cart neglect