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License-plate readers · Santa Fe County

Santa Fe County

Using license-plate readers · 2 agencies documented

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Santa Fe Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Axon
Cameras
Count not documented
Cruisers carry readers under the city's Axon contract; no count published. No fixed cameras as of July 2026, though the department is considering them.
  1. Oct. 2023 The New Mexican reported city police were not using plate-reading technology, having tested it several years earlier. (The Santa Fe New Mexican, Oct. 2023)
  2. July 3, 2026 Interim Chief Ben Valdez told the New Mexican that cruisers carry readers under the Axon contract and described that data as "walled off." He said police cannot freely tap privately owned cameras and that no pact with a private camera owner has been signed. (The Santa Fe New Mexican, July 3, 2026)
  3. Aug. 2026 Ahead of a council vote on a proposed Axon drone contract of about $2.2 million over five years, Chief Valdez said the city's drones would not have plate-reading technology. The source gives only weekdays for the related meetings. (The Santa Fe New Mexican, Aug. 11, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • The New Mexican reported in July 2026 that four Flock readers watch the DeVargas Center lot and four border a south-side Lowe's lot. These are private retail sites; the article does not report that the retailers share data with police.
  • The Axon contract's terms for readers were not found.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Police in Pojoaque (as named in source)

Status
Program documented, current use unconfirmed
Vendors
Vendor not named in source
  1. Oct. 2023 The New Mexican listed agencies in Pojoaque among those already using plate-reading technology. (The Santa Fe New Mexican, Oct. 2023)
Conflicts and open questions
  • The source does not name the agency. It may be Pueblo of Pojoaque tribal police, but this is not stated and was not confirmed. Evidence is older than Nov. 2025.

Secondhand report; not yet confirmed with the agency.

Statewide

  1. July 30, 2025 The Legislature's interim Science, Technology and Telecommunications Committee heard testimony on plate readers and recommended exploring legislation on statewide guidelines. KUNM reports the discussion took place on a Wednesday; the date is derived from its July 31 publication. (KUNM, July 31, 2025)
  2. Jan. 15, 2026 Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, filed the Driver Privacy and Safety Act with Rep. Christine Chandler, D-Los Alamos, as co-sponsor, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican. It became Senate Bill 40. (Santa Fe New Mexican, Jan. 15, 2026; New Mexico Legislature, 2026; BillTrack50, March 4, 2026)
  3. Jan. 29, 2026 The Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee advanced SB 40 by a 6-4 vote. KOB and the Journal report Democrats in favor and Republicans opposed. The Journal gives the day as Thursday; date derived from its Feb. 1 publication. (Albuquerque Journal, Feb. 1, 2026; KOB, Feb. 3, 2026)
  4. Feb. 3, 2026 KOB reported that public records it obtained show immigration-related searches of New Mexico police plate databases from Texas, Iowa, North Dakota and South Carolina. It also reported that the Albuquerque police, New Mexico State Police and Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen supported SB 40. (KOB, Feb. 3, 2026)
  5. Feb. 12, 2026 The Senate passed SB 40 by a 32-8 vote, according to a release on nmsenate.com. (nmsenate.com, Feb. 12, 2026)
  6. Feb. 17, 2026 The ACLU of New Mexico said in a Feb. 17 press release that the House gave final legislative approval and the bill went to the governor. (ACLU of New Mexico, Feb. 17, 2026)
  7. March 4, 2026 SB 40 was signed by the governor as Chapter 20, per BillTrack50's record of the last action. (BillTrack50, March 4, 2026)
  8. July 1, 2026 The Driver Privacy and Safety Act took effect. As described by KOB, it bars sharing plate data for immigration enforcement, with out-of-state agencies investigating abortion access, and with non-law-enforcement agencies. (KOB, July 1, 2026)
  9. July 1, 2026 The Senate Judiciary Committee substitute (the version opened; the enrolled text could not be opened) makes plate data confidential and not a public record, requires a written declaration from out-of-state recipients, has agencies report annually to the Department of Public Safety by April 1 with aggregated publication by July 1, and allows a civil penalty of $10,000 or actual damages, whichever is greater, for each intentional violation. The attorney general, district attorneys and DPS may enforce it. (New Mexico Legislature, 2026)
  10. July 1, 2026 Los Alamos County says the act requires annual reporting to the Department of Public Safety and treats reader data as confidential and outside the state public records law. The Senate release also describes annual reports and confidentiality. (Los Alamos Daily Post (Los Alamos County release), date not shown; nmsenate.com, Feb. 12, 2026)
  11. July 6, 2026 Daniel Williams of the ACLU of New Mexico told KRWG that data was misused before SB 40 passed, saying agencies around the country reached New Mexico data thousands of times "in the previous year" with search terms like immigration, ICE and HSI. He said the ACLU does not oppose the readers outright. (KRWG, July 6, 2026)
  12. Sept. 8, 2026 Sheriff John Allen said he plans to seek statewide retention standards in the 2027 session. Wirth had said in January he intended to pursue a storage limit in the 60-day session. (The Paper / nm.news, Sept. 8, 2026; Santa Fe New Mexican, Jan. 15, 2026)

State agencies

New Mexico State Police (Department of Public Safety)

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Vendor not named in source
Cameras
Count not documented
A 2024 opinion piece by two state representatives says 20 units were deployed; no current count opened. No count published in the sources opened. Taos County Manager Brent Jaramillo said he believes the state installed Axon Outpost readers at U.S. 64 and 285 in Tres Piedras but does not know for certain (Taos News, Aug. 19, 2026).
  1. Oct. 2023 The Santa Fe New Mexican reported that State Police had plate-reading technology in place, with a department rule that most of what it captures be erased every 10 days. (The Santa Fe New Mexican, Oct. 2023)
  2. Aug. 1, 2024 Reps. Jenifer Jones and Luis Terrazas wrote in an opinion piece that State Police put 20 plate-reader units into service that month. They wrote that they had jointly secured $320,000 for police technology that includes such readers; the piece does not say that money bought these units. (Grant County Beat, Aug. 1, 2024)
  3. July 2025 KUNM reported State Police used readers to arrest a suspect in a fatal shooting at the University of New Mexico. The story, dated July 31, 2025, places this in the prior week. (KUNM, July 31, 2025)
  4. Dec. 2, 2025 KOB reported that State Police share plate data with many organizations and responded to its request for data-sharing audits. APD Chief Harold Medina said he believed APD's data was shared only within APD and with State Police. (KOB, Dec. 2, 2025)
  5. Feb. 3, 2026 KOB reported State Police supported SB 40. (KOB, Feb. 3, 2026)
  6. Aug. 4, 2026 The Taos County Commission was scheduled to take up a state memorandum for Department of Public Safety readers on roadway lighting fixtures at sites the state transportation department approves, with the county paying added electricity. The commission tabled it, with no date set to return, and the Taos News reported installation does not depend on the county signing. (The Taos News, Aug. 2026; The Taos News, Aug. 19, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Active rests on KOB reporting in December 2025 on current sharing; no contract, vendor or current count found.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.