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New Mexico House Bill HM57

New Mexico 2025 Regular Session

New Mexico House Bill HM57 Compare Versions

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28+HOUSE MEMORIAL 57
29+57TH LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - FIRST SESSION, 2025
30+INTRODUCED BY
31+William A. Hall II and Patricia A. Lundstrom
2832 A MEMORIAL
29-REQUESTING A DESIGNEE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY,
30-THE DIRECTOR OF THE NEW MEXICO LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY, THE
31-DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF TRAINING FOR THE NEW MEXICO LAW
32-ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY AND A DESIGNEE OF THE PUBLIC EMPLOYEES
33-RETIREMENT ASSOCIATION TO COLLABORATE AND STUDY THE ISSUES
34-REGARDING RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF NEW MEXICO LAW
35-ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY INSTRUCTORS AND PROVIDE A CONSENSUS
36-RECOMMENDATION TO THE LEGISLATIVE INTERIM COMMITTEE CHARGED
37-WITH REVIEWING MATTERS RELATED TO INVESTMENTS AND PENSIONS.
33+REQUESTING A DESIGNEE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, THE
34+DIRECTOR OF THE NEW MEXICO LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY, THE DEPUTY
35+DIRECTOR OF TRAINING FOR THE NEW MEXICO LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY
36+AND A DESIGNEE OF THE PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT ASSOCIATION
37+TO COLLABORATE AND STUDY THE ISSUES REGARDING RECRUITMENT AND
38+RETENTION OF NEW MEXICO LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY INSTRUCTORS AND
39+PROVIDE A CONSENSUS RECOMMENDATION TO THE LEGISLATIVE INTERIM
40+COMMITTEE CHARGED WITH REVIEWING MATTERS RELATED TO INVESTMENTS
41+AND PENSIONS.
3842 WHEREAS, the New Mexico law enforcement academy was
39-established by the legislature in 1969 as the "police
40-academy", later changing the name to the "New Mexico law
41-enforcement academy" in 1970; and
42-WHEREAS, law enforcement in New Mexico is working under
43-the president's task force on 21st century policing, whose
44-mandate was to identify best policing practices and offer
45-recommendations on how those practices can promote effective
46-crime reduction while building public trust; and
47-WHEREAS, inherent to best practices in policing is high-
48-quality training and standards; and
49-WHEREAS, with the best practices mandate top of mind,
50-the New Mexico law enforcement academy is expected by New
51-Mexico's chiefs of police and sheriffs to provide cutting- HM 57
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43+established by the legislature in 1969 as the "police academy",
44+later changing the name to the "New Mexico law enforcement
45+academy" in 1970; and
46+.230735.2 underscored material = new
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78-edge training for officers and law enforcement staff, and
79-providing cutting-edge training requires subject matter
80-experts who are experienced and committed to the mission; and
73+WHEREAS, law enforcement in New Mexico is working under
74+the president's task force on 21st century policing, whose
75+mandate was to identify best policing practices and offer
76+recommendations on how those practices can promote effective
77+crime reduction while building public trust; and
78+WHEREAS, inherent to best practices in policing is high-
79+quality training and standards; and
80+WHEREAS, with the best practices mandate top of mind, the
81+New Mexico law enforcement academy is expected by New Mexico's
82+chiefs of police and sheriffs to provide cutting-edge training
83+for officers and law enforcement staff, and providing cutting-
84+edge training requires subject matter experts who are
85+experienced and committed to the mission; and
8186 WHEREAS, the New Mexico law enforcement academy
82-instructors are certified police officers, ideally with
83-several years of experience coupled with instructor
84-credentialing in critical areas of high-risk and technical
85-instruction; and
87+instructors are certified police officers, ideally with several
88+years of experience coupled with instructor credentialing in
89+critical areas of high-risk and technical instruction; and
8690 WHEREAS, the desired target instructor applicants are
87-officers with experience who are currently employed at
88-various law enforcement agencies throughout the state, and
89-those officers are covered under the public employees
90-retirement association's municipal police member coverage
91-plan five, which allows for enhanced retirement with twenty
92-years of service; and
91+officers with experience who are currently employed at various
92+law enforcement agencies throughout the state, and those
93+officers are covered under the public employees retirement
94+association's municipal police member coverage plan five, which
95+allows for enhanced retirement with twenty years of service;
96+and
9397 WHEREAS, it is a nearly insurmountable obstacle for the
94-New Mexico law enforcement academy to attract the ideal
95-officers to fill instructor positions since those officers
96-would be leaving a municipal law enforcement position for
97-which they are eligible to retire after twenty years to
98-become an instructor at the New Mexico law enforcement
99-academy and be covered by a retirement plan requiring twenty-
100-five years of service to retire with a comparable retirement
101-benefit; and
102-WHEREAS, the New Mexico law enforcement academy is HM 57
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126+New Mexico law enforcement academy to attract the ideal
127+officers to fill instructor positions since those officers
128+would be leaving a municipal law enforcement position for which
129+they are eligible to retire after twenty years to become an
130+instructor at the New Mexico law enforcement academy and be
131+covered by a retirement plan requiring twenty-five years of
132+service to retire with a comparable retirement benefit; and
133+WHEREAS, the New Mexico law enforcement academy is
129134 powerless to equalize academy instructors' retirement
130135 eligibility requirements with those of their municipal law
131136 enforcement counterparts because current law requires that
132137 academy instructors, regardless of years of experience and
133138 specialized credentials, when hired by the academy, be moved
134139 from the enhanced twenty-year retirement plan to the state
135-general member coverage plan three, which requires twenty-
136-five years of service before the officer can retire with a
140+general member coverage plan three, which requires twenty-five
141+years of service before the officer can retire with a
137142 comparable retirement benefit as provided under the municipal
138143 police member coverage plan five; and
139-WHEREAS, requiring five additional years of service for
140-an officer to retire in order to receive a benefit comparable
141-to an officer working five fewer years presents a harsh and
144+WHEREAS, requiring five additional years of service for an
145+officer to retire in order to receive a benefit comparable to
146+an officer working five fewer years presents a harsh and
142147 significant barrier to instructor recruitment, and even
143148 officers who are not planning to retire are understandably
144149 reluctant to accept a position for which they would have to
145150 give up the enhanced retirement option; and
146-WHEREAS, although positions for instructors have been
147-posted multiple times, the New Mexico law enforcement academy
148-remains only forty percent staffed in the instructor role;
149-and
150-WHEREAS, the New Mexico law enforcement academy is
151-committed to retaining the highest level of expectations in
152-the hiring of instructors, but without offering qualified
153-candidates a retirement level playing field, the academy HM 57
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180-simply cannot compete with law enforcement agencies
181-statewide; and
179+WHEREAS, although positions for instructors have been
180+posted multiple times, the New Mexico law enforcement academy
181+remains only forty percent staffed in the instructor role; and
182+WHEREAS, the New Mexico law enforcement academy is
183+committed to retaining the highest level of expectations in the
184+hiring of instructors, but without offering qualified
185+candidates a retirement level playing field, the academy simply
186+cannot compete with law enforcement agencies statewide; and
182187 WHEREAS, even though the New Mexico law enforcement
183188 academy is the state's lead training academy relied upon by
184189 county and municipal training academies, once officers who
185190 would otherwise accept a New Mexico law enforcement academy
186-instructor position become aware of the five-year difference
187-in retirement eligibility, the officers do not apply; and
191+instructor position become aware of the five-year difference in
192+retirement eligibility, the officers do not apply; and
188193 WHEREAS, unfortunately, the primary recruitment obstacle
189-for the New Mexico law enforcement academy is also the
190-primary retention obstacle because current academy
191-instructors would benefit by returning to local law
192-enforcement agencies so as to regain eligibility for twenty-
193-year retirement, and this fact has repeatedly played out as
194-the reason that highly credentialed instructors have left the
195-academy for employment at other law enforcement agencies; and
194+for the New Mexico law enforcement academy is also the primary
195+retention obstacle because current academy instructors would
196+benefit by returning to local law enforcement agencies so as to
197+regain eligibility for twenty-year retirement, and this fact
198+has repeatedly played out as the reason that highly
199+credentialed instructors have left the academy for employment
200+at other law enforcement agencies; and
196201 WHEREAS, solution-focused discussions with collaboration
197202 among key stakeholders and policymakers for resolution of the
198-issues surrounding recruitment and retention of New Mexico
199-law enforcement academy instructors is a matter of
200-significant importance to the overall policing strategies and
201-capabilities of the state;
202-NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF
203-REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that a designee of
204-the department of public safety, the director of the New HM 57
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203+issues surrounding recruitment and retention of New Mexico law
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231-Mexico law enforcement academy, the deputy director of
232-training for the New Mexico law enforcement academy and a
233-designee of the public employees retirement association be
234-requested to collaborate and study the issues regarding the
235-recruitment and retention of law enforcement academy
236-instructors and, through a consensus, make a recommendation
237-during the upcoming interim, no later than September 15,
238-2025, to the legislative interim committee charged with
239-reviewing matters related to investments and pensions; and
232+enforcement academy instructors is a matter of significant
233+importance to the overall policing strategies and capabilities
234+of the state;
235+NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF
236+REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that a designee of
237+the department of public safety, the director of the New Mexico
238+law enforcement academy, the deputy director of training for
239+the New Mexico law enforcement academy and a designee of the
240+public employees retirement association be requested to
241+collaborate and study the issues regarding the recruitment and
242+retention of law enforcement academy instructors and, through a
243+consensus, make a recommendation during the upcoming interim,
244+no later than September 15, 2025, to the legislative interim
245+committee charged with reviewing matters related to investments
246+and pensions; and
240247 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
241248 transmitted to the governor, the New Mexico legislative
242249 council, the secretary of public safety, the director of the
243250 New Mexico law enforcement academy and the executive director
244251 of the public employees retirement association.
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