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Department of Public Safety asks lawmakers to fund fleet, IT, lab pay study and DNA backlog outsourcing
Summary
The Department of Public Safety (DPS) asked the Appropriations & Finance Committee for funding across law enforcement, labs, IT and records bureaus. DPS highlighted a growing DNA backlog, the need to sustain body-worn and in‑car camera subscriptions, vehicle replacement and cybersecurity for criminal-justice data centers.
The Department of Public Safety (DPS) presented a broadly scoped request to the House Appropriations & Finance Committee focused on maintaining operations across the New Mexico State Police, forensic laboratories and the statewide law enforcement support functions.
Top priorities DPS highlighted - Forensic laboratories: DPS said a recent pay-study implemented January 2024 helped recruit forensic scientists; the agency reported 12 new hires and a 32% decrease in vacancy rate in the DNA unit, but noted training and certification for forensic scientists takes roughly 24 months. DPS said the DNA backlog stands at about 2,900 cases that will require outsourcing and asked for a $5.7 million special appropriation to outsource roughly 2,000 cases to reduce backlogs while scientists complete training. - Fleet, fuel and maintenance: DPS asked for recurring funding for high-mileage vehicle replacement and for ongoing fuel and maintenance. LFC recommended funding for vehicle replacement and the executive added step increases and recurring aircraft maintenance funds; the committee later approved an additional $1,614,400 for officer step increases in the state police program. - Body-worn and in‑car cameras: DPS said the shift to cloud-based subscription models for cameras and evidence management requires an annual subscription cost and asked for recurring funds for those services. - Law Enforcement Records Bureau (LERB) and IT: DPS requested funding to reorganize and reclassify LERB positions and to restore unfunded IT positions. DFA/LFC analysts noted a significant difference between executive and LFC recommendations for statewide law enforcement support (roughly $3.3 million); DPS said gaps threaten critical criminal-justice data centers and CJIS services used by multiple agencies.
Why it matters: DPS provides statewide law enforcement and criminal-justice data infrastructure. DPS officials warned that a failure of CJIS infrastructure or prolonged forensic backlogs would slow prosecutions and hamper investigations statewide.
Committee action: Committee members repeatedly flagged the DNA backlog and lab pay study items for follow-up. The committee adopted LFC recommendations for many items and, during discussion, added $1,614,400 in general fund revenue to the New Mexico State Police program to cover officer step increases in the 200 category (program 504), a motion that the chair recorded as having no opposition.
Ending: DPS asked appropriators to consider recurring and special funds for evidence processing, fleet replacement, IT and personnel to avoid future operational failures; analysts will continue to work with DPS to refine costs and the committee will track outsourced backlog progress if the special appropriation is approved.
