New Mexico's Inspection of Public Records Act mandates the right to inspect public records except those that pertain to physical or mental examinations and the medical treatment of persons confined to any institution; letters of reference concerning employment, licensing, or permits; letters or memorandums that are matters of opinion in personnel files or students' cumulative files; and law enforcement records that reveal confidential sources, methods, information, or individuals accused but not charged with a crime. Further, the law requires the designation of at least one custodian of public records for each public body; responsibilities of the custodian of public records are specified. Also mandated in the law are procedures for requesting records, inspecting records, handling excessively burdensome or broad requests, and processing denied requests. Another provision of New Mexico law prohibits the commercial solicitation of police reports in the interest of protecting victims of crimes or accidents. Article 3 of the New Mexico Code focuses on the management of and procedures for accessing public records. Included in this law are provisions for the protection of records, the disposition of public records, and the inspection and survey of public records. Other laws presented in this compendium focus on the use of background checks for prospective employees of the educational system, the designation of criminal history records that cannot be made available to prospective employers of ex-offenders, information pertinent to the identification of criminals, and the exchange of arrest information among law enforcement agencies.
Compendium of State Privacy and Security Legislation: 1997 Overview - New Mexico
NCJ Number
170066
Date Published
May 1997
Annotation
This is a 1997 overview of New Mexico law pertinent to the privacy and security of criminal justice information.
Abstract
Date Published: May 1, 1997