Valencia County boosts traffic enforcement, seeks public input on safety plan

Drivers in Valencia County are about to see more traffic stops, and county officials are asking residents to help shape how the region prepares for the next flood, wildfire or winter storm. The Los Lunas Police Department said it will run saturation patrols, enforcement checkpoints and seatbelt enforcement operations during May and June with the New Mexico Department of Transportation and Safer New Mexico Now, while the Isleta Police Department will join saturation patrols and DWI checkpoints throughout the same period in the Pueblo of Isleta.

The enforcement push lines up with a statewide effort. New Mexico State Police announced sobriety checkpoints, saturation patrols and registration, insurance and driver’s-license checkpoints in all New Mexico counties during May 2026, underscoring a broader traffic-safety campaign that will reach roads around Los Lunas and Isleta at the start of summer travel season.

At the same time, Valencia County is pressing forward with an update to its Hazard Mitigation Plan, and the public has until Tuesday, June 16, to complete a community survey. County officials held a public meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 30, at Ann Parish Elementary School, 112 Meadow Lake Road, to explain the planning process, present preliminary alternatives and collect feedback. The county says the update is meant to help guide long-term decisions that can reduce damage from severe storms, flooding, wildfire, drought and winter storm conditions.

The county’s Office of Emergency Management says its mission is to help prevent injuries, protect property and preserve cultural and natural resources during major emergencies or disasters. Its 2022 mitigation plan included a previous public participation survey that ran from October 2020 through August 2021 and produced 274 completed responses, a sign that resident input has carried weight in the county’s planning process before.

In Belen, the Fire Department marked another kind of readiness with a ceremonial push-in dedication for its new pumper truck on Friday, May 1, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 121 S. 5th St. The push-in ceremony is a long-standing fire service tradition dating to the horse-drawn era, when crews literally pushed apparatus back into the station after use.

The county’s near-term calendar also included items with direct community value, from the Los Lunas Open Space Park Rangers’ three-mile moonlight hike up El Cerro de Los Lunas, with a separate start time for children 8 and younger, to the Belen Public Library open house on May 6 and the Pilot Club of Belen rummage sale May 7-9. For residents balancing commutes, storm risk and family plans, the week brought a clear reminder that public safety, emergency preparation and community life are moving at the same time.