New Mexico’s governor vetoes 7 bills, including police oversight reforms

SANTA FE, New Mexico — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has vetoed a bill to overhaul oversight of police training and misconduct reviews

The governor said in a veto message that the bill would have changed the composition of the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy Board and eliminated two citizen members unaffiliated with law enforcement.

“Eliminating these members would insulate the board from any civilian oversight, a necessary accountability measure,” Lujan Grisham wrote.

The veto strikes down a bill that also included an increase in financial payouts to relatives of officers killed in the line of duty. The governor voiced no objection to that provision.

The vetoed policing reform bill was sponsored by Democratic Sen. George Muñoz of Gallup and Republican Sen. Stuart Ingle of Portales.

The Legislature abandoned a policing reform proposal from Democratic Rep. Antonio Maestas that sought to restructure police recertification and misconduct reviews.

Lujan Grisham vetoed at least seven bills on Friday, the deadline for enacting legislation from a 60-day annual legislative session that ended March 20.