AG unveils new forensic tech. Will it enhance firearm-related crime investigations in New Mexico?

Fatal shootings and unsolved homicides across New Mexico may be solved faster after Attorney General Raúl Torrez on Monday unveiled a new, robust forensic evidence technology network connecting the corners of the state. 

The state's Crime Gun Intelligence Center, operated by the New Mexico Department of Justice, will use forensic ballistic evidence to identify links between firearms used in crimes across New Mexico, Torrez announced Monday alongside law enforcement partners from Roswell, Gallup and San Juan County. 

By analyzing gun casings and other gun evidence, the center will help law enforcement agencies identify suspects, witnesses and crime patterns that might otherwise go undetected. The technology has already been used to help identify suspects in some of the highest-profile crimes in Albuquerque in recent years.

"This Crime Gun Intelligence Center is the first of its kind, allowing for start-to-finish information gathering and intelligence analytics that will be key to the arrests of dangerous criminals," Torrez said. "It really helps to paint a picture, not only in an effort to try and apprehend offenders, but also to try and understand how crime guns are moving through the community."

Along with the CGIC, Torrez also announced funding for four National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) machines. The machines will collect data that will be shared through the national NIBIN system with the intelligence center in Albuquerque and NMDOJ analysts, who will review the information and develop investigative leads for local agencies.

The four machines will be located with the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office, the Gallup Police Department, the Roswell Police Department and the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office. Torrez said NMDOJ chose those locations for their broad geographic reach and to help prevent rural law enforcement agencies from having to drive to Albuquerque to have their evidence collected and scanned.

Torrez said he hopes to get funding for another NIBIN machine for northern New Mexico in the future. 

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, who helped secure the federal funding for the equipment, said the investment will improve both crime prevention and case resolution.

"These state-of-the-art tools will be transformational in how we solve violent crime, giving law enforcement the ability to rapidly trace firearms used in crimes across our state and better hold repeat offenders accountable," Heinrich said in a news release on Monday. "With these machines, New Mexico will be able to do both on an unprecedented scale — stopping violent criminals before they can do more harm.”

To use a NIBIN machine, law enforcement first collects cartridge casings from shooting scenes and then test fires recovered guns, said Kyle Hartsock, director of Special Investigations with NMDOJ.  

The machine scans the breech face, firing pin and ejector marks on cartridge casings and uses those scans to create a digital image. Each casing has a unique marking — similar to fingerprints — that law enforcement can use to track down suspects. Then, the NIBIN database automatically compares the new images against other casings to search for patterns. 

The patterns can help law enforcement narrow down suspects in cases and the data from NIBIN machines can also be used to build a court case, Hartsock said.

"These casings are now incredibly valuable on every single shooting, regardless if someone's injured or hurt or we find property damage," he said.

In the past, NIBIN machines have been essential in solving some of Albuquerque's most high-profile crimes — the political shootings orchestrated by failed New Mexico House candidate Solomon Peña and four killings that spread fear throughout Albuquerque’s Muslim community in 2022.

Torrez said in both cases, NIBIN machines were critical in tying each of the shootings to one individual.