2019 New Mexico Statutes
Chapter 66 - Motor Vehicles
Article 3 - Registration Laws; Security Interests; Anti-Theft Provisions; Bicycles; Equipment; Unsafe Vehicles; Off-Highway Motor Vehicles; Other Vehicles
Part 6 - ANTI-THEFT PROVISIONS
Section 66-3-501 - Report of stolen and recovered vehicles or motor vehicles.

A. Every sheriff, chief of police or peace officer upon receiving reliable information that any vehicle or motor vehicle has been stolen shall immediately, but in no case later than one week after receiving the information, report the theft to the New Mexico state police or other appropriate law enforcement agency unless, prior thereto, information has been received of the recovery of the vehicle or motor vehicle. Any officer, upon receiving information that any vehicle or motor vehicle that the officer has previously reported as stolen has been recovered, shall immediately report the fact of recovery to the local sheriff's office or police department and to the New Mexico state police.

B. The requirement that the theft or recovery of a vehicle or motor vehicle be reported to the New Mexico state police is satisfied if the report is made to the national crime information center.

History: 1953 Comp., § 64-3-501, enacted by Laws 1978, ch. 35, § 88; 1995, ch. 135, § 15; 2009, ch. 253, § 8; 2009, ch. 261, § 8.

Cross references. — For the index of stolen or recovered vehicles, see 66-3-8, 66-3-9 NMSA 1978.

The 2009 amendment, effective July 1, 2009, in Subsection A, in the first sentence, after "any vehicle", deleted "registered under the Motor Vehicle Code" and added "or motor vehicle"; after "state police", added "or other appropriate law enforcement agency" and in the second sentence, after "any vehicle", deleted "which he" and added "or motor vehicle that the officer"; and in Subsection B, after "vehicle", added "or motor vehicle".

Laws 2009, ch. 253, § 8 and Laws 2009, ch. 261, § 8 enacted identical amendments to this section. The section was set out as amended by Laws 2009, ch. 261, § 8. See 12-1-8 NMSA 1978.

The 1995 amendment, effective June 16, 1995, added Subsection B, designated the existing provisions as Subsection A, substituted "under the Motor Vehicle Code" for "hereunder", and made numerous stylistic changes throughout the section.

Sheriff need not report theft when recovered on same day. — The sheriff is not required by the provisions of Section 64-9-1, 1953 Comp. (similar to this section) to report either the theft or recovery of a motor vehicle, recovered on the same day it was stolen and where no theft report was ever made, to the local police department or state police. Foundation Reserve Ins. Co. v. Faust, 1962-NMSC-176, 71 N.M. 271, 377 P.2d 681.