THIS IS THE OFFICIAL PATCH PROUDLY WORN ON THE SHOULDER OF A NEW MEXICO STATE POLICE OFFICER
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The New Mexico State Police, as it exists today, was created in 1935. There were two predecessors to the New Mexico State Police, the first one being the New Mexico Mounted Patrol, and the second being the New Mexico Motor Patrol.
The New Mexico Mounted Patrol was creared in 1905. The company consisted of one captain, one lieutenant, one sergeant and eight privates. The Mounties were furnished breech-loading rifles and ammunition, but had to furnish their own horses, six-shooter, and packing gear. They were appointed by the Territorial Governor and served one-year terms, after they were either recommissioned or dismissed, according to their performance.
The mounted policemen remained a small but elite group of men for the next 16 years. Finally, in 1921, the Fifth State Legislature repealed the legislation that had created the Mounted Patrol, thus bringing to an end the first organized, state-wide law enforcement agency in New Mexico.
New Mexico remained without a state law enforcement agency until 1933, when Governor Arthur Seligman signed a law creating the New Mexico Motor Patrol. The motor Patrol, consisting of nine officers and a chief, patrolled the state by motorcycle and was in charge of traffic enforcement. The Motor Patrol's motto "Service, Courtesy and Protection" was later adopted by its sucessor, the New Mexico State Police.
In 1935, under the administration of Governor Clyde Tingley, the Motor Patrol was changed to the State Police. The State Police was authorized to enforce both criminal and traffic laws throughout the state, and was given concurrent jurisdiction with county sheriffs and local police departments. The Department has progressed dramatically since 1935. It started out with ten motorcycles, then added cars. In 1945 police radios were installed in the cars.
On July 1, 1987, the New Mexico State Police was reorganized under the Department of Public Safety. The reorganization consolidated various enforcement, emergency response and training agencies under one department operation.
Today the New Mexico State Police is a well-trained, well-equipped, professional and efficient organization. Each of the 460 commissioned officer is issued his own fully-equipped vehicle. The Department uses regular marked units to patrol the thousands of miles of highway of this great state, the fifth largest state in the country.
The State Police operations include: the Uniform Bureau, the Special Operations Bureau (aircraft, fleet and specialty teams), the Investigations Bureau (criminal and narcotics investigations) and the State Police Training and Recruiting Bureau. It is still an elite corp of law enforcement officers serving the citizens of the State of New Mexico. The New Mexico State Police Officer is one of the finest in the nation and is a symbol of security to this country and to the State he serves.
The black uniform and shoulder patch of the New Mexico State Police was designed by E. J. House Jr., the first Chief of the State Police, in 1936. It is still worn today.