DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE NEWS RELEASE
The Department of Justice (NMDOJ) today announced significant early success from its Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC), just four months after its launch. As the first Attorney General’s office in the nation to house a statewide CGIC, New Mexico is already producing actionable intelligence that is helping law enforcement agencies solve and prevent violent crime across the state.
Since its launch, the CGIC has rapidly scaled into a fully operational statewide network, with National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) technology active in Gallup, Roswell, Farmington, and Las Cruces. These sites are processing ballistic evidence and delivering real-time intelligence to investigators across multiple jurisdictions.
“New Mexico didn’t wait to act, we built a first-in-the-nation model that is already delivering results,” said Attorney General Raúl Torrez. “By centralizing this work within our office and partnering with agencies across the state, we are giving investigators the tools they need to connect the dots, solve cases faster, and prevent future violence.”
Program Highlights:
- 700+ ballistic casings entered statewide: Since the program began, agencies have entered more than 700 casings into the NIBIN system—nearly doubling the total in just one month. The increase was driven in part by the successful launch of our fourth site at the Roswell Police Department, which submitted 107 acquisitions in its first 18 days of operation.
- Crime guns linked to multiple shootings: Analysts identified 31 crime guns linked to 74 shooting incidents; 45% of those crime guns were used in multiple jurisdictions with each involved in an average of 2.7 shootings.
- Rapid evidence processing: Crime scene casings are being entered into NIBIN within an average of 1.4 business days, exceeding national Gold-tier standards for timely processing.
- Near real-time intelligence delivery: From lead identification to dissemination, actionable intelligence is reaching investigators in just 0.2 business days on average. Twenty-three leads were distributed in April alone.
- Expanded firearm tracing: The CGIC submitted 53 firearms for federal eTrace analysis in April, strengthening investigative leads and helping track the origins of crime guns.
The CGIC continues to expand its reach through partnerships with local, state, federal, and Tribal law enforcement agencies. Current contributors include county sheriff’s offices, municipal police departments, Tribal police departments and federal partners such as the FBI and ATF. In April, the Ohkay Owingeh Tribal Police Department joined the network, further strengthening coverage in northern New Mexico.
The CGIC also conducted its first mobile NIBIN operation at Ohkay Owingeh, deploying personnel and federal partners to help process backlogged firearms. This new capability allows the CGIC to assist agencies statewide with high-volume test fire submissions—processing up to 100 firearms per day.
A key area of progress has also been the increased use of test fires, which now account for 33% of all ballistic acquisitions year-to-date. This approach significantly enhances the ability to link recovered firearms to past shooting incidents, providing investigators with stronger, more actionable leads.
“Every casing entered, every firearm traced, and every lead generated represents a step toward safer communities,” said Torrez. “This is what it looks like when innovation, collaboration, and urgency come together to fight crime.”
The New Mexico Department of Justice will continue to expand the CGIC network and encourage additional agencies to participate, with the goal of delivering comprehensive, statewide coverage and faster investigative outcomes.
For more information about the Crime Gun Intelligence Center, visit the New Mexico Department of Justice website HERE.