Police

Bill To Curb New Mexico License Plate Data Sharing Heads To Senate Floor

by

State Police Chief Troy Weisler

By CLARA BATES
The Santa Fe New Mexican

An effort to restrict out-of-state agencies from using license plate camera data in New Mexico to enforce things like immigration laws or other states’ abortion bans is moving forward.

The “Driver Privacy and Safety Act” passed the state Senate Judiciary Committee Monday afternoon with unanimous support, despite some misgivings from a pair of Republicans on the committee. It will head next to the Senate floor for a vote.

“If we don’t put basic guardrails on, this is a really dangerous tool,” Senate Majority Leader Read More

FBI: Convicted Drug Trafficker Pleads Guilty Mid-Trial To Methamphetamine Trafficking

by

FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — After one day of trial testimony, an Albuquerque woman pleaded guilty to methamphetamine trafficking.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, May 18, 2023, the FBI Violent Gang Task Force executed a search warrant at the northeast Albuquerque residence of Nora Baca, 67. During the search, agents located approximately three pounds of methamphetamine in the bedroom of Baca’s housemate and codefendant.

Sept. 10, 2024, following an investigation into a significant intergang drug trafficking conspiracy involving both incarcerated and non-incarcerated Read More

New Mexico Public Safety Workers Call On Senate To Go With Governor’s Higher Pay Plan

by

Bryanna Vargas, sergeant at the Springer Correctional Center, speaks in support of 6% raises for state public safety employees to be included in the state budget during a news conference in the rotunda of the state Capitol Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. Photo by Matt Dahlseid/The New Mexican

By NATHAN BROWN
The Santa Fe New Mexican

Public safety workers are urging lawmakers to take up Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s proposal for bigger raises for corrections workers, police and firefighters, arguing the current pay rates put safety at risk by contributing to high vacancies.

“We show up every single Read More

FBI Honors Internship Program Open For Applications

by

FBI News:

College students who want to start a career of a lifetime are invited to apply for the Summer 2027 FBI Honors Internship Program.

The application window opened on February 9, 2026, the deadline to apply is March 5, 2026.

The FBI Honors Internship is open to full-time undergraduate and graduate students. This paid internship gives students the opportunity to work at FBI headquarters or in one of our 56 field offices located across the country.

Interns will spend ten weeks alongside FBI Special Agents and professional staff supporting investigations, working on a wide variety of projects, Read More

FBI: Arizona Man Sentenced For Sexual Abuse

by

FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — An Arizona man was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for engaging in sexual acts with a minor victim using threats and intimidation.

There is no parole in the federal system.

In August of 2021, Fernando Yatsatie, Jr., 48, a member of the Zuni Pueblo, unlawfully engaged in a sexual act with a minor victim using threats and intimidation.

Yatsatie pleaded guilty to sexual abuse. Upon his release from prison, Yatsatie will be subject to fifteen years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Read More

New Mexico Senators, Public Square Off On Safety Versus Freedom In Gun Debate

by

State Rep. John Block, R-Alamogordo, right, joins a pro-Second Amendment rally Saturday outside the Capitol. Sponsored by the New Mexico Shooting Sports Association and the New Mexico Firearms Industry Association, demonstrators, a number of them armed, voiced their opposition to Senate Bill 17, a gun control bill moving through the Legislature. Nathan Burton/The New Mexican

Bethany Padilla, center, a member of UNM’s Students Demand Action chapter, wipes tears from her eyes as she listens to speakers share their experiences of gun violence during a rally in support of Senate Bill 17 on Read More

McQuiston: How Insurance Decides Who’s At Fault

by

By ALLEN MCQUISTON
Jemez Insurance Agency
Serving Los Alamos Since 1963

After a car accident, most people assume there’s going to be a clear answer. Someone ran the red light. Someone rear-ended someone. Someone was texting. Someone wasn’t paying attention.

But when insurance gets involved, the question isn’t just what happened. It’s who can be proven responsible, and how much.

And that process is more structured—and more frustrating—than most people realize.

First, “fault” is not a feeling. It’s a legal decision. Insurance companies don’t decide fault based on who seems nicer, who’s

Read More

FBI: Men Sentenced For Kidnapping, Human Smuggling Scheme

by

FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — Two Guatemalan nationals were sentenced to prison for orchestrating a ransom scheme in which they held 11 undocumented immigrants captive and extorted their families under threats of violence and cartel retaliation.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court records, the FBI received a kidnapping complaint on March 1, 2025, alleging that the family of an undocumented immigrant was being extorted for ransom under threats of violence and cartel involvement. Agents traced the ransom calls to a residence in southwest Albuquerque and executed a search Read More

FBI: Farmington Man Charged For Fentanyl Distribution, Firearms Offenses

by

FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — A Farmington man is facing federal charges for suspected federal drug trafficking and firearms violations stemming from a traffic stop. 

According to court documents, Jan. 26, 2026, Stevie Anthony Lovato, 39, was stopped while driving on U.S. Highway 550 with two other individuals in the vehicle and arrested on an active felony warrant. During the arrest, officers recovered a 9mm hollow point round, approximately 1.34 grams of methamphetamine, and two cellphones from his person. A subsequent search of the vehicle, conducted pursuant to a warrant, resulted in the Read More