SANTA FE – An effort to reform qualified immunity provisions that protect police officers from lawsuits against misconduct is getting underway in New Mexico.
The state’s newly appointed civil rights commission was scheduled to meet Friday for the first time to arrange assistance from the legal affairs office of the Legislature and state procurement officials.
Protests about racial injustice and police brutality have prompted several states to pass significant policing reforms at a quick pace, often with bipartisan support and mixed reactions from law enforcement.
New Mexico’s Democrat-led Legislature and allied Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham approved policing reforms during a special session in June that include the mandatory use of police body cameras and the creation of a civil rights commission.
In Colorado, a new law has eliminated the qualified immunity defense that generally protects government workers from lawsuits – over strong opposition by some police.
New Mexico is taking a more gradual approach to immunity issues, with proposals from the civil rights commission due by Nov. 15, 2021, for consideration by the Legislature and governor.
The nine-member commission includes former Belen police chief Victor Rodriguez, retired Supreme Court Justice Richard Bosson and Republican state Sen. Steve Neville of Aztec. Democrats outnumber Republicans 4-3, with two unaffiliated members.
