Women ride free in Santa Fe

City starts free taxis for women at night

By JULIE ANN GRIMM AND Jason Auslander | The New Mexican
May 22, 2007

Series of sexual assaults prompts prevention program

The city of Santa Fe on Tuesday began offering free taxi rides to women in an effort to promote safety while police investigate a recent series of sex crimes.

The idea, spearheaded by female city councilors, is a response to at least ten unsolved sexual assaults or attempted sexual assaults reported since the fall, including one early Friday morning on the city's north side that happened when a woman walked home alone at about 1 a.m.

"We don't want people taking chances until we have this problem under control," City Councilor Karen Heldmeyer said.

Any woman who would otherwise walk alone in the city at night should call Capital City Cab and ask for the free-ride program, and a no-questions-asked policy applies, she said. The city has allocated about $20,000 for the prevention program, but Heldmeyer hopes it won't have to spend that much.

"The police have some promising leads, and they think they are making progress. And we really hope this is not going to be a long, drawn-out process," Heldmeyer said. "But in the interim, women are very scared, and this just seemed like one simple, concrete thing we could do."

Police investigators believe a man who hanged himself last week at the county jail may have been responsible for at least five of the nine rapes and attempted rapes, which all have occurred since September. David Giba was arrested May 10 and charged with exposing himself to a woman at a Santa Fe business. Five days later, he was charged with one of the attempted rapes, which took place at a dental office on Calle Medico on Sept. 12.

Giba apparently committed suicide Friday, leaving a note for police investigators that has not been made public. Detectives continue to try to look into whether he was involved in the other four cases in which a tall, fair-skinned man is the suspect. They haven't discovered anything concrete yet, police Capt. Gary Johnson said.

Police are also searching for another fair-skinned man, said to be between 5 feet, 8 inches and 6 feet tall who might be responsible for three of the remaining four attempted rapes and rapes in the so-called St. Francis corridor. Both the tall man and shorter man wore ski masks during the attacks.

The latest rape occurred early Tuesday morning in the parking lot of the Lodge at Santa Fe on Calle Mejia, near North St. Francis Drive.

A man approached a woman from behind and threw her to the ground, police say. The victim described the attacker as having light skin, being between 6 feet 1 inch and 6 feet 2 inches tall and having a medium build. He was in his early to mid-30s, with about two days growth of facial hair, she told police.

Police Chief Eric Johnson vowed to stop the rash of assaults. "We are going to do whatever it takes to restore the feeling of safety to this community," he said. "We are aggressively investigating these crimes."

On Monday, City Council also increased the Crime Stoppers reward money from $1,000 to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of those involved in the attacks. The Crime Stoppers number is 955-5050.

Capital City Cab, the city's only taxi service, has enough cars and drivers to support the ride program, said president Matt Knowles. About 10 cars are on duty on a typical week night this time of year, but the company will add more cars if demand for the program exceeds available cabs, he said.

He urged women such as late-night waitresses who already know they will need a ride to make an appointment with the company in advance.

Councilor Patti Bushee said she thinks the taxi program is a good idea, but noted many of the recent attacks have taken place in women's homes. She said she's telling everyone who contacts her to be extra aware of her surroundings and to lock doors and windows.

Bushee is helping the Rape Crisis and Trauma Treatment Center organize a town hall meeting June 4 to exchange information about sex crimes in the city and ways to prevent them.

Crisis Center director Barbara Goldman said the community response to the incidents is understandable. "What I'm hearing is a very intelligent, concerned, impassioned community who have reasonable fear about this. I don't think anybody is hysterical, and I don't see people who are totally freaked out," she said. "… I don't think anyone is being rendered paralytic. There is a lot of action being taken."

For a free cab ride between 8:30 p.m. and 7 a.m., make an appointment or call as needed, Capital City Cab, at 438-0000.