Courts, Justice & Safety Archives

Sam Bregman, district attorney for New Mexico's Second Judicial District, sent a letter Wednesday to Bill Shaw, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement assistant field office director, raising concerns about ICE operations in the state.

ICE policy under fire: Bregman threatens criminal charges for unlawful ICE detentions

The Bernalillo County district attorney has warned federal immigration officials that certain detention practices could result in criminal prosecution under state law. Sam Bregman, district attorney for New Mexico’s Second Judicial District, sent a letter Wednesday to Bill Shaw, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement assistant field office director, raising concerns about ICE operations. The letter […]

Courts, Justice & Safety, Healthcare, New Mexico Legislature #nmleg

Punitive damages emerge as flashpoint in latest malpractice reform push

by New Mexico In Depth January 20, 2026

This story originally appeared at New Mexico In Depth, and is republished with permission as a part of our mission to bring readers the best in independent local journalism. By Ted Alcorn, NM In Depth –– Responding to doctors’ concerns that New Mexico’s malpractice system is making it hard to practice medicine, leading lawmakers hope […]

APD's real-time crime center integrates ALPR and other tools to prevent and investigate crime and keep the community informed. (APD)

Metro crime-fighting tools highlighted as federal funding package clears Congress

A package of federal appropriations bills that cleared both houses of Congress this week contains hundreds of millions of dollars for New Mexico, with a heavy emphasis on public safety in the Albuquerque metropolitan area. U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján issued news releases Friday detailing the legislation, which now heads to President […]

Opinion & Analysis

Against the odds: APD’s DWI unit rises from the ashes

by Kevin Hendricks January 16, 2026January 16, 2026

When I first heard about the sprawling corruption scandal that gutted the Albuquerque Police Department’s DWI unit in 2024, I, like a lot of people, assumed the specialized unit was finished. A decades-long bribery scheme involving nearly the entire squad, hundreds of dismissed cases, officers on the district attorney’s “Brady list” of untrustworthy cops, it […]

DWI cases filed in Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court have reached a multiyear high in 2025, even as the Albuquerque Police Department remains silent on its arrest data following a decades-long corruption scandal that has decimated its specialized DWI unit. (Roberto E. Rosales)

DWI cases rebound in Bernalillo County court after APD corruption scandal

DWI cases filed in Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court reached a multiyear high in 2025 and APD arrests are on the rise following a decades-long corruption scandal that has decimated its specialized DWI unit, a City Desk investigation found. The court recorded 2,404 total DWI filings in 2025, consisting of 2,360 misdemeanor and 44 felony cases, […]

APD Interim Chief reorganizes department, eliminates 12 command positions

Albuquerque Police Department Interim Chief Cecily Barker announced a reorganization that includes new executive appointments and the elimination of 12 command staff positions, expected to save the city about $2.4 million. Three officers were promoted to interim executive roles: Luke Languit as Deputy Chief of the Field Services Bureau, Mike Hernandez as Deputy Chief of […]

Pictured is the scene of an APD officer-involved shooting near I-40 and 6th street near the Love’s truck stop. Photo by Roberto E. Rosales/The City Desk. Photo by Roberto E. Rosales/The City Desk

APD shootings rise as federal oversight ends

Albuquerque Police police officers shot 15 individuals last year, according to department statistics, an increase from each of the previous two years when the department was under federal oversight. Data examined by City Desk ABQ shows last year’s total number of police shootings is up from 13 the previous year and 14 in 2023. Those […]

Albuquerque Police Department officials report 63 homicide incidents in calendar year 2025, with a total of 65 people killed. (Roberto. E. Rosales)

APD reports significant decline in homicide

Albuquerque Police Department officials report 63 homicide incidents in calendar year 2025, with a total of 65 people killed. That total is down by more than one-third from 2024, when 98 people were killed in the city. Police say 87%, or 55 of 63, of 2025 homicide cases have been solved, along with 25 cases […]

Bernalillo County

Firefighters agreed to the Sheriff’s drug testing demands but still can’t fly

by Jesse Jones January 5, 2026

Sheriff John Allen said he removed Bernalillo County firefighters from the Metro Air Support Unit because they refused to meet his drug testing standards, but county records show firefighters agreed to those same standards in July and the sheriff still has not allowed them back on the unit. Allen quietly pulled firefighters from the helicopter […]

The Torrance County Detention Facility located in Estancia, New Mexico.

Courts, Justice & Safety, Housing & Homelessness

Estancia’s economic fate hinges on expired detention facility contract

by Kevin Hendricks December 22, 2025

Former Estancia Mayor Nathan Dial expressed concern for the town’s economy if the Torrance County Detention Facility ceases operation, as newly released data shows a surge and decline in detainees during the contract period. The six-month contract between CoreCivic and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was enacted in April and expired at the end of […]