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Las Cruces staff propose letting Police Service Aids issue post-crash citations; council presses on training and oversight
Summary
City staff proposed amending Las Cruces Municipal Code section 23‑36 to let Police Service Aids (PSAs) investigate minor-injury crashes and issue post-accident traffic citations. Presenters cited data showing PSAs handled over 67% of recent crash reports; councilors asked for stronger screening, refresher training and clarity on court processing and safety equipment.
City staff on Monday presented a proposal to the Las Cruces City Council to amend the municipal code to allow Police Service Aids to investigate crashes that result in up to minor injuries and to issue traffic citations as part of post-crash investigations.
“Percentage taken by PSA is over 67%,” City Attorney Bridal Douglas said while presenting multi-year crash-report figures showing PSA involvement rising from roughly 28.7% in 2023 to more than 67% in the most recent year. Douglas said the proposed edits would explicitly authorize PSAs to investigate certain minor crashes and write applicable municipal traffic citations without waiting for a sworn officer to arrive.
The change is narrowly framed as post‑accident authority: Douglas and other presenters emphasized PSAs would not initiate traffic stops or have…
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