ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The uptick in teens involved in serious crimes is bringing new challenges for staff at the Bernalillo County Juvenile Detention Center. 

This past year has especially been rough. Three teens got charged for causing chaos at the center on Christmas Day. Then, a convicted murderer walked out of the facility months later. 

But leaders say security upgrades are in the works.

“Being that this building was built in the ‘70s and for a different audience, I did expect to have it be about where it’s at,” said Greg Perez the deputy Bernalillo County Public Safety manager. 

In June, leaders brought in a security expert to identify the facility’s shortcomings. While they’ve only received a preliminary report, Perez says they’ve already made a change. 

“We have a security team that sits up front now 24/7 that manages the entrance so the comings and goings of the facility,” said Perez. 

That includes a mandatory screening, and a body scan to keep contraband out. Another recommendation is a safe place for staff if chaos breaks out. That could have been useful last Christmas when a group of teens barricaded entrances of the facility and vandalized the property. 

“Right now they’re on the unit, and it’s all open. So we’ll look to create a safe space where they could retreat if things were to get dangerous for the employees on the unit, they could retreat to that safe zone,” Perez said. 

By the end of the month, all staff will be required to wear uniforms. 

“Just to kind of show more of who’s in charge and consistency within the building,” said Perez said. 

For the outside:

“Really kind of securing roof access so it’s not easy to get up there because that’s where the last individual was able to get out,” said Perez. 

He’s talking about Josef Toney. The 19-year-old was convicted of killing two people, and escaped from the facility in May.

“Our failure to do a proper security check, he was able to just prop open a door and leave,” Perez said. 

It may look like a lot of fencing, but Perez says they need an extra layer, and someone on the property may need to move out.

“Where they work out of and keep their trucks, it’s actually in the backside of the detention facility,” said Perez. 

Right now, the county’s North Valley Maintenance Office is in the secured portion of YSC. 

“Access to tools, access to trucks, failure to leave gates open,” said Perez said. 

Perez says with the kind of teens they’re now housing, they’ll follow all the advice of the security expert.

“It’s not the kids stealing bubble gum and joyriding in mom and dad’s car anymore, we’re dealing with some serious crimes potentially within our facility,” said Perez. 

Perez also says they hired a new director for the facility, Tamera Marcantel. She’ll start Monday and oversee everything from security to programming at YSC.

They’ve also closed their staffing gap. As long as the new hires complete the academy, the facility will be fully staffed by mid-September.