- New Mexico State Police
-
New Mexico State Police Abbreviation NMSP 
Patch of the New Mexico State Police. Agency overview Formed February 15, 1905 Preceding agencies - New Mexico Mounted Police (1905-1921)
- New Mexico Motor Patrol (1933-1935)
Employees 1,000 (as of 2004) [1] Legal personality Governmental: Government agency Jurisdictional structure Size 121,665 square miles (315,110 km2) Population 1,969,915 (2007 est.)[2] Legal jurisdiction New Mexico General nature Operational structure Headquarters Santa Fe, New Mexico State Police Officers 605 (as of 2010) [3] Civilians 490 (as of 2010) [4] Agency executive Faron W. Segotta, Chief Parent agency New Mexico Department of Public Safety Website NMSP Website The New Mexico State Police is the state police agency for New Mexico, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state. It was created to protect the lives, property and constitutional rights of people in New Mexico. The state police is a division within the New Mexico Department of Public Safety.
Contents
History
New Mexico Mounted Police
During the early days of New Mexico, there was only one official attempt at a statewide law enforcement agency. The New Mexico Mounted Police was established in 1905 by the 36th New Mexico Territorial Legislature. The state was still very much part of the old west then, and not everyone was pleased with the creation of a state police force. Various criminal elements and corrupt politicians tried to abolish the mounted police in 1913, but Governor McDonald's vetoed this. Opponents of the force did, however, succeed in convincing the legislature to appropriate no money to fund the force. From 1913 thru 1917, the governor's office found other ways to finance the mounted police from the state's general fund and employed them in a limited capacity.
World War I
During World War I, national security became a great concern, particularly in border states like New Mexico. The last time American soil was invaded by a foreign force was in 1916, when Mexican Revolution General Francisco "Pancho" Villa sacked the town of Columbus, New Mexico. The mounted police were reactivated and kept our border with Mexico secure, as well as provided general law enforcement services. For the next several years, the mounted police gained quite a reputation as an effective and professional police force, much to the disdain of the state's lawbreakers, who often had strong political ties in Santa Fe. Finally, on February 15, 1921 - almost sixteen years after its inception - the New Mexico Mounted Police was abolished.
New Mexico Motor Patrol
The advent of the automobile again highlighted the need for a statewide law enforcement agency. No other police force had jurisdictional authority to enforce laws throughout the state. In 1933, the New Mexico Motor Patrol was established, primarily to enforce traffic laws. The patrol had a civilian oversight board consisting of three members: Governor Arthur Seligman, Attorney General E.K. Neumann, and Highway Engineer Glenn D. Macy. The state of Texas had recently created their own motor patrol, and they detailed Captain Homer Garrison to conduct the first New Mexico Motor Patrol recruit school at St. Michael's College in Santa Fe. One hundred thirty-five men applied for the school; eighteen were selected to attend; and ten were finally chosen and commissioned as the first motor patrol officers. Each officer was issued a Harley Davidson motorcycle with siren, red light, and other accessories. One of the ten graduates, Earl Irish, was appointed as the Chief and was given a monthly salary of $150; Patrolmen made $125 monthly. Officers were allowed $10 per month to maintain their uniforms.
The Motor Patrol proved to be a great success and within a few months of its existence, had generated more than enough revenue to fund itself. A radio broadcasting system was set up that depended on a commercial radio station, KOB, in Albuquerque. Every week, officers would wire law enforcement matters to be disseminated to the chief in Santa Fe, who would see that KOB broadcast the information twice each day, except Sunday. In this way, motor patrol officers communicated information to each other such as descriptions of wanted suspects and stolen goods.
New Mexico State Police
By 1935, the need to expand the authority and responsibility of the motor patrol was widely recognized. The Twelfth State Legislature changed the name of the organization to the New Mexico State Police, and gave its officers full police powers to enforce all laws of the state and complete statewide jurisdiction. The authorized strength was raised to 30 officers; the ranks of sergeant, lieutenant, and captain were added; and salaries were increased. The uniform adopted in 1936 is still in use today, with the exception of the riding breeches and boots favored by motorcycle officers. Seven Chevrolet sedans were added to the department's fleet and a new headquarters building was designed and constructed at a cost of $19,000.
Equipment
The service pistol of the NMSP is the Smith & Wesson M&P .357.[5]
Organization
Headquarters
NMSP headquarters is located at 4491 Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe, NM.
Districts
For operational purposes, the State Police divide New Mexico into 12 distinct Districts. Each district has a main office with a commanding officer who oversees day-to-day operations.
- District 1, Santa Fe
- District 2, Las Vegas
- District 3, Roswell
- District 4, Las Cruces
- District 5, Albuquerque
- District 6, Gallup
- District 7, Española
- District 8, Alamogordo
- District 9, Clovis
- District 10, Farmington
- District 11, Socorro
- District 12, Deming
Special Operations Bureau
- Accident Reconstruction Team
- Aircraft Aviation Team
- Bicycle Patrol
- Bomb Team
- Canine Team
- Clandestine Lab Team
- Crime Scene Unit
- Criminal Investigations Section
- Emergency Response Team
- Honor Guard
- Motorcycle Unit
- Search and Recovery Dive Team
- Tactical Team
See also
References
- ^ USDOJ Statistics
- ^ 2007 Population Estimates
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ Smith & Wesson advertisement in Sept. 2010 issue of Tactical Weapons magazine.
External links
Highway patrol/State police in the United States See also: Law enforcement in the United States and Highway patrolStates Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming • HawaiiFederal District Insular areas The New Mexico state police is also the state police of New Mexico.
Categories:- Law enforcement agencies of the United States
- State law enforcement agencies of New Mexico
- Government agencies established in 1905
- United States law enforcement agency stubs
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