Lorie and Larry Johnson live in Sandia Park in the East Mountains, a neighborhood that doesn’t have a high crime rate but does have some potential safety threats. The Johnsons said there are a lot of coyotes in their neighborhood, and people don’t feel safe walking their dogs. Their neighbors are constantly seeing strangers walking or driving vehicles through their property, they said, and sometimes business owners don’t feel safe because of heavy semitruck traffic in the area.
“We’ve got a lot of people that are moving in that shouldn’t be moving in,” Lorie said.
The Johnsons said they love the peace and quiet of their mountainside community, but eventually, they have to make their way into Albuquerque or Santa Fe to shop or run errands. On trips to the bigger cities, Larry said he carries a weapon with him, but it’s not exactly the type of protection one might expect…