New Mexico State Police

New Mexico State Police
New Mexico State Police
Abbreviation NMSP
New Mexico State Police.jpg
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

Nuvola apps agent.svg Law enforcement/Law enforcement topics portal

References

  1. ^ USDOJ Statistics
  2. ^ 2007 Population Estimates
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ [2]
  5. ^ Smith & Wesson advertisement in Sept. 2010 issue of Tactical Weapons magazine.

External links

The New Mexico state police is also the state police of New Mexico.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • New Jersey State Police — Abbreviation NJSP New Jersey State Police patch …   Wikipedia

  • New Hampshire State Police — Abbreviation NHSP Patch of the New Hampshire State Police …   Wikipedia

  • New York State Police — Abbreviation NYSP Patch of the New York State Police …   Wikipedia

  • New Mexico State Penitentiary riot — The New Mexico Penitentiary Riot, which took place on February 2 and 3, 1980, in the state s maximum security prison south of Santa Fe, was one of the most violent prison riots in the history of the American correctional system: 33 inmates died… …   Wikipedia

  • New Mexico Mounted Patrol — Abbreviation NMMP Shoulder Patch of the New Mexico Mounted Patrol 150x150px …   Wikipedia

  • State police — are a type of sub national territorial police force, particularly in Australia and the United States. Some other countries have analogous police forces, such as the provincial police in some Canadian provinces, while in other places, the same… …   Wikipedia

  • New Mexico Air National Guard — Active 1946 – present Country …   Wikipedia

  • List of law enforcement agencies in New Mexico — This is a list of law enforcement agencies in the state of New Mexico. State agencies * New Mexico Attorney General s Office Special Agents * New Mexico Board of Pharmacy Investigators * New Mexico Corrections Department * New Mexico Department… …   Wikipedia

  • Clovis, New Mexico jail break — Seven of the eight Clovis, New Mexico escapees during a KRQE news report. The Clovis, New Mexico jail break refers to a August 24, 2008 jail escape from the Curry County Adult Detention Center. Eight inmates, all charged with violent crimes,… …   Wikipedia

  • 2008 prison break in Clovis, New Mexico — from the Curry County Adult Detention Center.Eight inmates, all charged with violent crimes, broke out of the Clovis, New Mexico prison by climbing up plumbing pipes in a narrow space inside a wall and using handmade instruments to cut a hole in… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”