2020 New Mexico Statutes
Chapter 29 - Law Enforcement
Article 3A - Criminal Record Expungement
Section 29-3A-2 - Definitions.

As used in the Criminal Record Expungement Act:

A. "arrest records" means records of identification of a person under arrest or under investigation for a crime taken or gathered by an official; "arrest records" includes information gathered from the national crime information center or another criminal record database, photographs, fingerprints and booking sheets; except "arrest records" does not include:

(1) driving while intoxicated citations maintained by the taxation and revenue department;

(2) computer-aided dispatch information; or

(3) log books relating to breath alcohol testing equipment;

B. "expungement" means the removal from access to the general public of a notation of an arrest, complaint, indictment, information, plea of guilty, conviction, acquittal, dismissal or discharge record, including a record posted on a publicly accessible court, corrections or law enforcement internet website; and

C. "public records" means documentation relating to a person's arrest, indictment, proceeding, finding or plea of guilty, conviction, acquittal, dismissal or discharge, including information posted on a court or law enforcement website; but "public records" does not include:

(1) arrest record information that:

(a) reveals confidential sources, methods, information or individuals accused but not charged with a crime and that is maintained by the state or any of its political subdivisions pertaining to any person charged with the commission of any crime; or

(b) is confidential and unlawful to disseminate or reveal, except as provided in the Arrest Record Information Act [Chapter 29, Article 10 NMSA 1978] or other law;

(2) the file of a district attorney or attorney general maintained as a confidential record for law enforcement purposes and not open for inspection by members of the public;

(3) a record maintained by the children, youth and families department, the human services department or the public education department when that record is confidential under state or federal law and is required to be maintained by state or federal law for audit or other purposes; or

(4) a record received pursuant to a background check as authorized by law.

History: Laws 2019, ch. 203, § 2.

Effective dates. — Laws 2019, ch. 203, § 9 made Laws 2019, ch. 203 effective January 1, 2020.