Statewide, NM- The New Mexico State Police is highlighting what 2024 has shown to date and rolling out some goals for 2025.

One of those goals is to improve recruitment and retention. A new docuseries called "Forging the Future" follows New Mexico State Police recruits as they progress through the academy and documents their journey to becoming a New Mexico State Police Officer.

Technology improvements have shown increased efficiency in officers' daily duties. This includes a new Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system which makes it easier for officers to look up and combine information on calls. Officers are also transitioning to a new body camera system which has increased capabilities over the last system they wore. The Advanced License Plate Readers that have been put into the field have helped officers in locating stolen vehicles and other vehicles of interest that have been used in crimes.

Another goal for the New Mexico State Police is to adapt to the changing nature of crime. A new Digital Forensic Support Unit was created to assist our officers in collecting the increasing amount of digital data related to criminal activity. This helps solve crimes and build stronger cases.

Maintaining Accountability and Effectiveness of the department has always been a goal of the New Mexico State Police and will continue to be one. Comprehensive briefing videos for New Mexico State Police officer involved shootings are starting to be released to show transparency to the public. We have also provided ride alongs for both State and Federal Legislators to show the day in the life of an officer and how the goals being mentioned here are being accomplished first-hand.

Fiscal Year 2024, which wrapped up in June showed increased enforcement activity and productivity across the agency. For example, in FY24 officers issued 177,056 traffic citations compared to 159,643 in FY23, an 11% increase. Officers across the state have also increased DWI arrests by 38%. When it comes to violent crime cases, the State Police Investigations Bureau achieved a Homicide Clearance rate of 92%.

Notable increases from FY23 to FY24 are shown below:

Overall Arrests- 11% increase
Fugitive Apprehension Repeat Offender Arrests- 74% increase
Investigations Bureau investigations- 18% increase
Crime Suppression Bureau Drug Cases- 17% increase
State Police Cases Investigated- 71% increase

In the months ahead State Police will continue to strive to maintain an extremely active presence around the state. We will continue to work with our local and federal partners to increase coordination for joint operations and intelligence sharing throughout the state as we continue to target problem areas for increased enforcement.