New Mexico State Police

Encyclopedia Article

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A division within New Mexico's Department of Public Safety, the New Mexico State Police Force maintains 12 district stations in the state. The department began as a motor patrol in 1933 to address the need for law enforcement with statewide jurisdiction. The State Police recruits and trains cadets at the law enforcement academy in Santa Fe, emphasizing core values of respect, excellence, service, pride, ethics, courtesy and teamwork.

As a state-wide agency, the New Mexico State Police have jurisdiction over both interstate and state highways, demanding close collaboration with other agencies around the state, whose jurisdictions overlap these travel systems. Such agencies include tribal and sovereign police forces, as well as municipal agencies associated with towns and cities.

Photo Credit: 

 
"New Mexico State police officer waving to car at New Mexico-Colorado state line, circa 1964," photograph, (029505). Palace of the Governors Photo Archive, New Mexico History Museum, Santa Fe. All rights reserved. Use with permission only.

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