ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — If you went shopping in Bernalillo County this holiday season, you probably saw a large law enforcement presence.

“The Albuquerque Police Department has had a very successful operation, Operation Sticky Fingers, that we stated would go through the holiday season,” APD Police Chief Harold Medina said. “It resulted in 320 individuals being taken into custody. Fifteen of those cases were able to be elevated to felony charges under the new state law where we can combine shoplifting cases.”

APD also cleared 110 warrants during the operation. They will keep the operations going in the new year, and already have them planned out for the next three months.

“In 2024 I am also hoping to see much more progress on the shoplifting front, just because of the investment of the community,” Medina said. “This goes to the DA’s office, taking prosecution lead on all these cases, this new case law, and we will continue to work on enforcing shoplifting and creating that sense of safety for the community.”

The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office also wrapped up their holiday operation, Holiday Hammer. The department is expected to share the results of that next week.

Sheriff John Allen says while they may have different operations, both APD and BCSO still work together.

“Look, we are always going to have our own operations, people need to understand that, but we share information and sometimes we are going after the same target,” Allen said. “We are sharing information with them and vice versa, that’s very important.”