underscored material = new
[bracketed material] = delete
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
HOUSE MEMORIAL 57
57TH LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - FIRST SESSION, 2025
INTRODUCED BY
William A. Hall II and Patricia A. Lundstrom
A MEMORIAL
REQUESTING A DESIGNEE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, THE
DIRECTOR OF THE NEW MEXICO LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY, THE DEPUTY
DIRECTOR OF TRAINING FOR THE NEW MEXICO LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY
AND A DESIGNEE OF THE PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT ASSOCIATION
TO COLLABORATE AND STUDY THE ISSUES REGARDING RECRUITMENT AND
RETENTION OF NEW MEXICO LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY INSTRUCTORS AND
PROVIDE A CONSENSUS RECOMMENDATION TO THE LEGISLATIVE INTERIM
COMMITTEE CHARGED WITH REVIEWING MATTERS RELATED TO INVESTMENTS
AND PENSIONS.
WHEREAS, the New Mexico law enforcement academy was
established by the legislature in 1969 as the "police academy",
later changing the name to the "New Mexico law enforcement
academy" in 1970; and
.230735.2 underscored material = new
[bracketed material] = delete
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
WHEREAS, law enforcement in New Mexico is working under
the president's task force on 21st century policing, whose
mandate was to identify best policing practices and offer
recommendations on how those practices can promote effective
crime reduction while building public trust; and
WHEREAS, inherent to best practices in policing is high-
quality training and standards; and
WHEREAS, with the best practices mandate top of mind, the
New Mexico law enforcement academy is expected by New Mexico's
chiefs of police and sheriffs to provide cutting-edge training
for officers and law enforcement staff, and providing cutting-
edge training requires subject matter experts who are
experienced and committed to the mission; and
WHEREAS, the New Mexico law enforcement academy
instructors are certified police officers, ideally with several
years of experience coupled with instructor credentialing in
critical areas of high-risk and technical instruction; and
WHEREAS, the desired target instructor applicants are
officers with experience who are currently employed at various
law enforcement agencies throughout the state, and those
officers are covered under the public employees retirement
association's municipal police member coverage plan five, which
allows for enhanced retirement with twenty years of service;
and
WHEREAS, it is a nearly insurmountable obstacle for the
.230735.2
- 2 - underscored material = new
[bracketed material] = delete
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
New Mexico law enforcement academy to attract the ideal
officers to fill instructor positions since those officers
would be leaving a municipal law enforcement position for which
they are eligible to retire after twenty years to become an
instructor at the New Mexico law enforcement academy and be
covered by a retirement plan requiring twenty-five years of
service to retire with a comparable retirement benefit; and
WHEREAS, the New Mexico law enforcement academy is
powerless to equalize academy instructors' retirement
eligibility requirements with those of their municipal law
enforcement counterparts because current law requires that
academy instructors, regardless of years of experience and
specialized credentials, when hired by the academy, be moved
from the enhanced twenty-year retirement plan to the state
general member coverage plan three, which requires twenty-five
years of service before the officer can retire with a
comparable retirement benefit as provided under the municipal
police member coverage plan five; and
WHEREAS, requiring five additional years of service for an
officer to retire in order to receive a benefit comparable to
an officer working five fewer years presents a harsh and
significant barrier to instructor recruitment, and even
officers who are not planning to retire are understandably
reluctant to accept a position for which they would have to
give up the enhanced retirement option; and
.230735.2
- 3 - underscored material = new
[bracketed material] = delete
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
WHEREAS, although positions for instructors have been
posted multiple times, the New Mexico law enforcement academy
remains only forty percent staffed in the instructor role; and
WHEREAS, the New Mexico law enforcement academy is
committed to retaining the highest level of expectations in the
hiring of instructors, but without offering qualified
candidates a retirement level playing field, the academy simply
cannot compete with law enforcement agencies statewide; and
WHEREAS, even though the New Mexico law enforcement
academy is the state's lead training academy relied upon by
county and municipal training academies, once officers who
would otherwise accept a New Mexico law enforcement academy
instructor position become aware of the five-year difference in
retirement eligibility, the officers do not apply; and
WHEREAS, unfortunately, the primary recruitment obstacle
for the New Mexico law enforcement academy is also the primary
retention obstacle because current academy instructors would
benefit by returning to local law enforcement agencies so as to
regain eligibility for twenty-year retirement, and this fact
has repeatedly played out as the reason that highly
credentialed instructors have left the academy for employment
at other law enforcement agencies; and
WHEREAS, solution-focused discussions with collaboration
among key stakeholders and policymakers for resolution of the
issues surrounding recruitment and retention of New Mexico law
.230735.2
- 4 - underscored material = new
[bracketed material] = delete
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
enforcement academy instructors is a matter of significant
importance to the overall policing strategies and capabilities
of the state;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that a designee of
the department of public safety, the director of the New Mexico
law enforcement academy, the deputy director of training for
the New Mexico law enforcement academy and a designee of the
public employees retirement association be requested to
collaborate and study the issues regarding the recruitment and
retention of law enforcement academy instructors and, through a
consensus, make a recommendation during the upcoming interim,
no later than September 15, 2025, to the legislative interim
committee charged with reviewing matters related to investments
and pensions; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
transmitted to the governor, the New Mexico legislative
council, the secretary of public safety, the director of the
New Mexico law enforcement academy and the executive director
of the public employees retirement association.
- 5 -
.230735.2