New Mexico Law Enforcement Certification Board

Summary

The New Mexico Law Enforcement Certification Board, established under NMSA §29-7-4.3 (as amended effective July 1, 2023), is an 11-member board administratively attached to the Department of Public Safety. Members are appointed by the governor with senate consent to staggered 5-year terms and include a retired district judge (chair), active/retired LE managers, a retired or current sheriff, a tribal LE officer, attorneys representing civil rights plaintiffs, criminal defendants, and public entities, a criminal justice professor, and one citizen-at-large. The board has binding authority to issue, suspend, deny, and revoke certifications for all state-certified officers — the primary decertification mechanism in New Mexico — and may compel witnesses and records by subpoena. It has no independent use-of-force investigative function; UOF complaints are handled internally by employing agencies or referred to prosecutors.