New Mexico
New Mexico Police Reports: How to Get a Crash Report, Incident Report, or Bodycam Video
New Mexico centralizes crash-report requests at the state level, through the Department of Public Safety's Law Enforcement Records Bureau, rather than leaving them to whichever agency happened to investigate. That same statute family also sets the single most practically important rule for anyone requesting police video in New Mexico: a request for law enforcement video or audio must include a specific reference number, not just a general description of the incident.
Below is how to get a New Mexico crash report, how the general public-records law applies to incident reports, and how New Mexico's bodycam mandate connects to that same specificity requirement.
Information last verified on 2026-08-11. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
This guide is part of a broader look at police reports by state. For the filing side rather than requesting a copy, see how to file a police report.
Getting a New Mexico Crash Report
New Mexico's Department of Public Safety maintains uniform crash reports for New Mexico State Police and the Motor Transportation Police Division statewide through its Law Enforcement Records Bureau. Requests go through LERB's Records Request Portal, by mail (P.O. Box 1628, Santa Fe, NM 87504), by email (lerb.accidents@dps.nm.gov), or by fax (505-827-3388).
LERB's fee schedule is $1.00 for the first page, $0.25 for each additional page, and $6.75 for a disc. The page is explicit that all invoices must be paid before records are released. Any civilian, law enforcement agency or officer, or other agency may request a report, and written requests are preferred over oral ones. LERB also states that photos, dashcam footage, diagrams, and other pertinent information tied to the same crash can be requested alongside the report where available, which is a useful practical detail distinct from the separate bodycam mandate statute described below. Fatal crash reports are retained 25 years; non-fatal reports, including hit-and-run and property-damage-only crashes, are retained 10 years, under 1.21.2.927 NMAC.
New Mexico draws the same driver-filed-versus-officer-prepared line found in Nebraska and Nevada, though the statute in play here covers only one side of it. NMSA 66-7-213 makes the driver's own filed accident report confidential, stating that accident reports made by persons involved in accidents or by persons in charge of garages are for the confidential use of the state highway and transportation department, with disclosure limited to two narrow exceptions: the identity of a party who is unknown or who denies presence at the accident, and whether the vehicle owner or operator carried insurance. That statute governs the driver's own filing, not the separate officer-prepared report LERB releases to any requester. LERB's civilian-access practice for NMSP and Motor Transportation Police reports rests instead on New Mexico's general public-records law, the Inspection of Public Records Act, and on NMSA 14-2-1.2's starting position that law enforcement records are public except as otherwise provided by law, not on 66-7-213. In short, the driver's own report to the state stays confidential by statute, while the officer's report of the same crash is released as a matter of LERB policy under the general open-records framework.
A separate channel, NMDOT's own Crash Data Request Form, exists but is scoped to bulk or aggregate crash data for research, analysis, or government purposes, not individual report copies. Do not confuse that data-request channel with the LERB process described above for an individual crash report.
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Getting a New Mexico Incident Report
New Mexico's general public-records law is the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA). The Department of Public Safety's Public Information page points requesters to a Records Request/IPRA portal and references an internal policy document, ADM: 21, that governs how DPS processes IPRA requests, though the page itself does not reproduce that policy's fee, timeline, or redaction specifics.
The operative access statute for law enforcement records is NMSA 14-2-1.2, which starts from the position that law enforcement records are public records except as otherwise provided by law, and is referenced by IPRA's general exceptions clause. The same statute sets the specificity requirement that matters most for video and audio requests: a request must specify at least one identifying reference, such as the computer-aided dispatch record number, before an agency will process it. That requirement applies whether the underlying record is a general incident video or bodycam footage.
New Mexico Bodycam Footage
New Mexico requires certain agencies to equip officers with body-worn cameras under NMSA 29-1-18. The statute applies to law enforcement agencies whose officers routinely interact with the public and sets a minimum retention period of 120 days for recorded video. That statute governs the equipping mandate, not the access mechanics for the resulting footage.
Access instead runs through NMSA 14-2-1.2, the same law enforcement records statute covered above, including its CAD-number specificity requirement. No separate bodycam-specific fee or timeline schedule distinct from that general framework was found this pass. For the underlying law in more detail, see New Mexico bodycam laws; for the general request process across states, see how to request bodycam footage.
Related Resources
Police Reports by State covers the national picture. See also How to File a Police Report, How to Read a Police Report, Are Police Reports Public?, New Mexico Bodycam Laws, New Mexico Car Accident Laws, New Mexico Public Records Laws, and New Mexico Court Records.
Disclaimer
This article provides general information about how to request New Mexico crash reports, incident reports, and bodycam footage. It is not legal advice. Fees and agency procedures change; verify current details with the New Mexico Department of Public Safety, the relevant local department, or a licensed New Mexico attorney before relying on anything here for a specific situation.
Last updated: 2026-08-11. Fees and portals reflect their published status as of August 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a New Mexico crash report?
Request it from the DPS Law Enforcement Records Bureau through its Records Request Portal, by mail, email, or fax. LERB covers New Mexico State Police and Motor Transportation Police Division reports statewide.
How much does a New Mexico crash report cost?
LERB charges $1.00 for the first page, $0.25 for each additional page, and $6.75 for a disc, with all invoices paid before records are released.
Can anyone request a New Mexico crash report?
Yes, for the officer-prepared report LERB maintains. LERB's page states any civilian, law enforcement agency or officer, or other agency may request a report, and written requests are preferred over oral ones. That is a different document from the driver's own filed report, which NMSA 66-7-213 keeps confidential for the state's use.
What do I need to request New Mexico bodycam or dashcam footage?
New Mexico law requires the request to specify at least one identifying reference for the video or audio, such as the computer-aided dispatch record number, under NMSA 14-2-1.2.
Does New Mexico require police body cameras?
Yes, for agencies whose officers routinely interact with the public. NMSA 29-1-18 sets the equipping mandate and a minimum 120 day retention period; access to the footage itself runs through the general law enforcement records statute.
Updates
Governing law re-checked for recent changes
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on 3 statutory provisions held in our own legal record, each retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
New Mexico Statutes Annotated 1978, Chapter 14
§ 14-2-1.2Law enforcement recordsIn forcecited in 2 of our articles
A. Law enforcement records are public records, except as provided by law and this subsection, and provided that the presence of nonpublic information may be redacted from a written record or digitally obscured in a visual or audio record, including: (1) before charges are filed, names, addresses, contact information or protected personal identifier information of individuals who are victims of or non-law- enforcement witnesses to an alleged crime of: (a) assault with intent to commit a violent felony pursuant to Section 30-3-3 NMSA 1978 when the violent felony is criminal sexual penetration; (b) assault against a household member with intent to commit a violent felony pursuant to Section 30-3-14 NMSA 1978 when the violent felony is criminal sexual penetration; (c) stalking pursuant to Section 30-3A-3 NMSA 1978; (d) aggravated stalking pursuant to Section 30-3A-3.1 NMSA 1978; (e) criminal sexual penetration pursuant to Section 30-9-11 NMSA 1978; (f) criminal sexual contact pursuant to Section 30-9-12 NMSA 1978; or (g) sexual exploitation of children pursuant to Section 30-6A-3 NMSA 1978; (2) before charges are filed, names, addresses, contact information…
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-30 · Read the full section at nmonesource.com
Also relied on in: New Mexico Police Body Camera Laws: Mandate & Liability
New Mexico Statutes Annotated 1978, Chapter 29
§ 29-1-18Requiring certain law enforcement agencies to use body- worn cameras while on duty; exceptions; adoption of policies and procedures governing use.In forcecited in 7 of our articles
A. A law enforcement agency shall require peace officers the agency employs and who routinely interact with the public to wear a body-worn camera while on duty, except as provided in Subsection B of this section. Each law enforcement agency subject to the provisions of this section shall adopt policies and procedures governing the use of body-worn cameras, including: (1) requiring activation of a body-worn camera whenever a peace officer is responding to a call for service or at the initiation of any other law enforcement or investigative encounter between a peace officer and a member of the public; (2) prohibiting deactivation of a body-worn camera until the conclusion of a law enforcement or investigative encounter; (3) requiring that any video recorded by a body-worn camera shall be retained by the law enforcement agency for not less than one hundred twenty days; and (4) establishing disciplinary rules for peace officers who: (a) fail to operate a body-worn camera in accordance with law enforcement agency policies; (b) intentionally manipulate a body-worn camera recording; or (c) prematurely erase a body-worn camera recording in violation of law enforcement…
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-30 · Read the full section at nmonesource.com
Also relied on in: New Mexico Recording Laws (2026): One-Party Consent Rules, New Mexico Laws on Recording Police: Your First Amendment Rights (2026), New Mexico IPRA: Inspection of Public Records Act Guide (2026)
New Mexico Statutes Annotated 1978, Chapter 66
§ 66-7-213Accident reports confidential; exceptionsIn force
A. All accident reports made by persons involved in accidents or by persons in charge of garages shall be without prejudice to the individual so reporting and shall be for the confidential use of the state highway and transportation department or other state agencies having use for the records for accident prevention purposes or for the administration of the laws of this state relating to the deposits of security and proof of financial responsibility by persons driving or the owners of motor vehicles, except that the state highway and transportation department may disclose: (1) the identity of a person involved in an accident when his identity is not otherwise known or when the person denies his presence at the accident; or (2) the fact that the owner or operator of a motor vehicle involved in the accident is or is not insured and if he is insured the name and address of his insurance carrier. B. Except as otherwise provided in this section, no accident report shall be used as evidence in any trial, civil or criminal, arising out of an accident. C.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-30 · Read the full section at nmonesource.com
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Sources and References
- New Mexico Statutes Annotated 1978, NMSA 66-7-213 (driver-filed accident reports confidential; exceptions)(nmonesource.com)
- New Mexico Statutes Annotated 1978, NMSA 14-2-1.2 (law enforcement records)(nmonesource.com)
- New Mexico Statutes Annotated 1978, NMSA 29-1-18 (body-worn cameras; requirement)(nmonesource.com)
- New Mexico Department of Public Safety, Law Enforcement Records Bureau(dps.nm.gov).gov