New Mexico governor vetoes include police oversight reforms
Associated Press 1 day ago
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has vetoed a bill to overhaul oversight of police training and misconduct reviews
The governor said in a veto message Friday that the bill would have changed the composition of the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy Board and eliminated two citizen members unaffiliated with law enforcement.
“Eliminating these members would insulate the board from any civilian oversight, a necessary accountability measure,” Lujan Grisham wrote.
The veto strikes down a bill that also included an increase in financial payouts to relatives of officers killed in the line of duty. The governor voiced no objection to that provision.
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A year of tumult over race and policing is coming to a head in New Mexico’s busy legislative session.
With just weeks to go before it ends on March 20, lawmakers have introduced dozens of bills aimed at reforming law enforcement and several have progressed through committees. As a share of total introduced legislation, bills related to policing doubled this year over previous sessions, according to data from Legislative Council Service.
According to Rep. Antonio Maestas, D-Albuquerque, the quantity of proposals this year reflects the urgency of the moment. “The national outcry regarding police accountability forced our hand.”
Law enforcement sees it differently. Shaun Willoughby, President of the Albuquerque Police Officers’ Association, said the proposals display a fundamental ignorance about policing and shouldn’t be passed over the objections of law enforcement. “Reform is something you do with your officers, not to your officers.”
Here s a look at the police reform bills sweeping the New Mexico statehouse Ted Alcorn, New Mexico In Depth
A year of tumult over race and policing is coming to a head in New Mexico’s busy legislative session.
With just weeks to go before it ends on March 20, lawmakers have introduced dozens of bills aimed at reforming law enforcement and several have progressed through committees. As a share of total introduced legislation, bills related to policing doubled this year over previous sessions, according to data from Legislative Council Service.
According to Rep. Antonio Maestas, D-Albuquerque, the quantity of proposals this year reflects the urgency of the moment. “The national outcry regarding police accountability forced our hand.”
Local law enforcement officials are sounding off about what some call a âterribleâ bill circulating its way through the state Legislature.
If signed into law, Senate Bill 227, introduced by Sen. Linda Lopez (D-Bernalillo), would establish a standard use-of-force policy for law enforcement agencies across New Mexico.
SB 227 would prohibit police officers and deputies from using physical force until theyâve exhausted de-escalation tactics and techniques and, even then, force must be proportionate to the situation.
It also forbids law enforcement from using deadly force against someone who is a threat only to themselves, restricts the ability to shoot at moving vehicles and bans the use of chokeholds, tear gas, rubber bullets and âshall not direct a dog to bite a person.â