The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that, as of 2008, New Mexico was home to 2,587 federal law enforcement officers, with the majority of these jobs (1,576) related to police response and patrol.
During the same time, there were 386 federal law enforcement officers employed in criminal investigations and enforcement, 383 in security and protection, 120 in inspections and noncriminal investigation, and 117 in court operations.
Federal Law Enforcement Education and Training in New Mexico
There are two, major components of any federal law enforcement job: education and training. Although education differs among agencies and certainly among specific positions within agencies, the minimum requirement for many GL-7 federal positions is a bachelor’s degree. From IT positions through the CIA to intelligence and immigration enforcement agents through the DEA, a college education has become standard for many federal law enforcement positions.
Training has always been at the forefront of the federal law enforcement community. New Mexico is home to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers Artesia site. This training, center which is situated on 220 acres in the City of Artesia, includes seven buildings and nearly 95,000 square feet.
A new $6 million building was just added to the Artesia site, which includes more than 14,000 square feet and an advanced video and sound system. The Artesia training center is the second busiest law enforcement training site, behind the FLETC’s headquarters in Glynco, Georgia. In 2012 alone, students completed nearly 24,000 weeks of training at the Artesia site.
The FLETC serves as an interagency law enforcement training organization for 91 federal agencies, and it also provides training services to a number of international, state and tribal law enforcement agencies. Basic training programs within the FLETC include:
- Criminal Investigator Training Program
- Uniformed Police Training Program
- Land Management Police Training Program
A number of advanced training programs take place through the FLETC, as well, including anti-terrorism training, cyber terrorism training, financial forensic training, and critical infrastructure training.
Federal Law Enforcement Offices in New Mexico
Federal law enforcement offices in New Mexico include:
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
- Albuquerque, NM 87102
- Las Cruces, NM 88011
- Roswell, NM 88201
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- Albuquerque, NM 87107
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
- Albuquerque, NM 87107
- Las Cruces, NM 88011
U.S. Marshals Service
- Albuquerque
- Las Cruces
- Santa Fe
- Roswell
U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency
- Albuquerque District Office
United States Secret Service
- Albuquerque
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- Albuquerque
- Columbus
- St. Teresa
Careers in Federal Law Enforcement in New Mexico
With a position along the U.S.-Mexico border, New Mexico sees its share of federal arrests. In fact, just five judicial districts along the U.S.-Mexico border—Southern and Western Districts, Arizona, Southern District of California, and New Mexico—although home to just 9 percent of the population, accounted for 56 percent of all federal arrests in 2009. From 2005 to 2009, the rate at which U.S. Marshals arrested and booked suspects increased by 14 percent in the District of New Mexico.
Some of the largest operations in New Mexico include the Border Violence Division within the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office, which works closely with Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and similar federal agencies as to combat human trafficking, and the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, which works with such federal agencies as the U.S. Marshals and federal probation/parole to conduct child exploitation crime investigations.
The Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s Office, District of New Mexico, is divided into a number of sections, based on the District’s current needs:
- Immigration Section
- Narcotics Section
- Violent Crimes and Firearms Section
- White Collar and General Crimes Section
Therefore, careers in federal law enforcement in New Mexico may range from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.