Police to Announce Results from Operation Not in Vain

The Las Cruces Police Department will hold a news conference on Aug. 11 to announce results from its successful 2026 three-month Operation Not in Vain that was aided by New Mexico State Police and New Mexico State University Police.

The news conference will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Council Chambers at Las Cruces City Hall, 700 N. Main St. The news conference will be televised live on CLCTV, Comcast Cable channel 20-SD and 928-HD. The news conference will also be livestreamed on the City’s YouTube channel and on the Las Cruces Police Department’s Facebook page.

The 2026 version of Operation Not in Vain began in May and concluded in July. The operation resulted in six felony arrests, 40 misdemeanor arrests and 166 traffic citations. Officers also seized or recovered three firearms and executed three search warrants during the operation.

The June and July comparison of crime committed in the Operation Not in Vain project areas in 2026 shows a 21% decrease in NIBRS Group A crimes compared to the same period in 2025. NIBRS is the National Incident-Based Reporting System used by the FBI to compile information on criminal incidents and arrests.

LCPD Chief Jeremy Story, NMSP Deputy Chief Dale Wagoner and NMSUPD Chief Justin Dunivan will provide additional results from the three-month operation during Tuesday’s news conference.

The Operation Not in Vain results are in addition to the arrests, citations and enforcement efforts made by law enforcement personnel during regular shifts with their respective agencies and further amplify the impact of the operation.

Through June 2026, the Las Cruces Police Department recorded a 13% overall reduction in crime compared to the same six-month period in 2025. LCPD’s second-quarter 2026 crime stats can be viewed online.

Not in Vain is a crime reduction operation, now in its third year, created in memory of fallen Las Cruces Police Department Officer Jonah Hernandez who was killed Feb. 11, 2024, in the line of duty.