Today, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, along with state law enforcement partners, announced the first Crime Gun Intelligence Center housed within an attorney general’s office in the country. The New Mexico Department of Justice’s (NMDOJ) Crime Gun Intelligence Center uses forensic evidence to find connections between firearms used in crimes across the state. The information collected will help law enforcement in every corner of New Mexico identify key suspects, witnesses and other key information.
In addition to announcing the intelligence center, Attorney General Torrez also announced that it has received the funding to acquire four National Integrated Ballistic Information Network machines to be distributed across the state. Law enforcement officers will use these machines to conduct highly technical inspections of gun casings, which will provide meaningful leads connecting crimes and firearms used in crimes across the state.
“This Crime Gun Intelligence Center is the first of its kind, allowing for start-to-finish information gathering and intelligence analytics that will be key to the arrests of dangerous criminals,” said Attorney General Raúl Torrez. “This unit and its statewide network will help law enforcement solve crimes at a faster rate and produce leads in criminal cases that would otherwise not be known. I’m extremely grateful to Senator Heinrich for his work to secure the funding we needed to get this crimefighting network up and running.”
“New Mexicans want to be safe in their homes and communities, and I am committed to delivering the resources and legislation to make that a reality. From cracking down on firearms trafficking and straw purchases to ensuring illicit fentanyl remains a controlled substance, I remain committed to protecting our communities from violence in all forms. But public safety cannot be maintained through laws alone. It requires the dedication and partnership of state and local law enforcement throughout our state,” said U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich. “It’s delivering major investments like these NIBIN machines that make me proud to fight for New Mexico on the Senate Appropriations Committee. These state-of-the-art tools will be transformational in how we solve violent crime, giving law enforcement the ability to rapidly trace firearms used in crimes across our state and better hold repeat offenders accountable. When it comes to crime, my focus is on preventing what we can and solving it when we can’t. With these machines, New Mexico will be able to do both on an unprecedented scale — stopping violent criminals before they can do more harm.”
Read the full release here.