The bill seeks to improve the Law Enforcement Training Act by incorporating telecommunicators into the Law Enforcement Retention Fund, allowing for retention differential disbursements based on tenure for both certified law enforcement officers and telecommunicators. It introduces new definitions, such as "safety agency" and "telecommunicator," while updating the responsibilities of the New Mexico Law Enforcement Standards and Training Council to oversee training and educational requirements. The council will ensure that training programs are evidence-based and regularly reviewed, and it will now include a municipal police chief, two faculty members from criminal justice programs, and a behavioral health expert. The bill also mandates compliance with the Law Enforcement Training Act for funding eligibility and requires annual reports on staffing and retention metrics.

Additionally, the bill removes the requirement for Senate consent for certain council appointees and changes the terminology from "law enforcement officer" to "police officer." It emphasizes the importance of national accreditation for the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy and its satellite academies, with a deadline for accreditation application set for January 1, 2029. The bill allocates $1.2 million from the general fund for fiscal year 2026 and subsequent years to enhance training programs and disqualifies academies from receiving funds if they lose accreditation. It also repeals outdated sections of the law to streamline the legal framework governing law enforcement training in New Mexico.

Statutes affected:
introduced version: 9-19-14, 29-7-2, 29-7-3, 29-7-4.3, 39-3-1.1, 29-7-5, 29-7-7, 29-11-5, 29-13-6