Enchantment State News

Albuquerque, NM – Attorney General Raúl Torrez has urged the Second Judicial District Court to correct an apparent violation of the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) arising from its recent denial of a request for GPS alerts and notifications for defendants under the supervision of the Court’s Pretrial Services Division (PTS).

The IPRA request in question, initiated by investigative reporter Larry Barker of KRQE News 13, aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the court’s pretrial services, a matter of significant concern in New Mexico. Attorney General Torrez highlighted the importance of public access to such information, stating, "There is no more urgent issue facing our community than the problem of violent crime. The public must have the information about how dangerous defendants, like Devin Munford, are being supervised when they are not detained pretrial."

The denial of the request, based on a New Mexico Supreme Court Order, was criticized by Torrez, who emphasized the necessity of transparency in matters of pretrial supervision. He questioned, "At a time when New Mexico has one of the highest rates of violent crime, how can the public have confidence in this process if journalists are denied access to basic information about who’s violating their conditions of release?"

The Attorney General's letter to the Second Judicial District Court’s IPRA Custodian set a deadline of May 15, 2024, for the production of the denied records to prevent further enforcement action. Torrez stressed the significance of accountability and public scrutiny in the court’s pretrial supervision processes, citing the case of Devin Munford, where over 100 GPS violations went unaddressed before a tragic incident occurred.

In a bid to enhance transparency and accountability in pretrial supervision processes, Attorney General Raúl Torrez has taken a proactive stance urging the Second Judicial District Court to provide the requested public records promptly.