DPS Reorganization Act Signed Into Law

DPS Cabinet Secretary Greg Fouratt

STATE News:

SANTA FE – Gov. Susana Martinez has signed into law Senate Bill 95, the Department of Public Safety Reorganization Act.

This landmark bill represents the first statutory reorganization of the New Mexico State Police Division (DPS) in its 28-year history and takes effect July 1, 2015. This bill enjoyed widespread legislative support, having passed the Senate 31-9 and the House 54-1.

The primary effect of this bill is the merger of all three DPS law enforcement entities into the DPS:

  • New Mexico State Police;
  • Motor Transportation Police Department (MTPD); and
  • Special Investigations Division (SID).

This merger will require that the approximately 150 commissioned officers currently assigned to MTPD and SID transfer out of the classified personnel system managed by the State Personnel Office into the New Mexico State Police exempt personnel system. 

In this organizational realignment, MTPD will become a bureau of the New Mexico State Police Division, alongside the Patrol Operations Bureau, the Investigations Bureau, the Special Operations Bureau, and the Training and Recruiting Bureau. SID will be renamed the Special Investigations Unit and will be a component of the overall Investigations Bureau. 

Current MTPD and SID commissioned personnel will maintain their same mission focus, jurisdiction, enforcement priorities, rank structure, uniforms and insignia. In addition, MTPD and SID will maintain their same organizational size, with no anticipated decrease in personnel numbers.

According to Cabinet Secretary Greg Fouratt, “Chief Kassetas and I are grateful to Gov. Martinez, Sen. Sander Rue, Rep. Alonzo Baldonado, and the rest of the Legislature for seeing the practical value and personnel management wisdom that this reorganization features. This reorganization gives the current and future leaders of this Department the ability to treat all commissioned officers equally in terms of pay, benefits, promotions, assignments, transfers and discipline. It also permits commissioned officers, once properly trained, to transfer among the different enforcement components of the State Police Division, which leads to a more versatile and effective cadre of police officers.”

Chief Pete Kassetas, who also serves as the Department’s Deputy Secretary for Operations, observed: “I have been in the State Police for more than 22 years and have been the Chief since August 2013. For many years, I have recognized that this reorganization was essential to the optimal administration of commissioned officers in this department. I know that at least six of the last seven chiefs and the last five cabinet secretaries shared this vision and I am pleased that we have at long last been able to implement it.”

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