New Mexico Register / Volume XXXVII, Issue 9 / May 5, 2026

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED PERMANENT RULE

Public Notice. The New Mexico Department of Public Safety [“DPS”] gives notice that it will hold a public hearing at DPS’s Law Enforcement Academy, Classroom 5, at 4491 Cerrillos Rd, Santa Fe, NM 87507, and via Microsoft Teams, on Friday, June 5, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. on the proposed permanent rule 10.2.5 NMAC CLASSIFYING CONFIDENTIALITY OF INFORMATION AND RECORDS IN MISSING PERSONS INVESTIGATIONS. The public may attend via DPS or Microsoft Teams on a computer, mobile device, or telephone. The videoconference’s Meeting ID and Password, videoconference link, and telephone number are:

Join Microsoft Teams Meeting on Your Computer or Mobile App:

https://tinyurl.com/classifyingrule

Meeting ID: 251 816 751 466 22

Passcode:35RA24zm

Or Call in (Audio Only): 505-312-4308

Phone Conference ID: 672559840

Purpose of the Rule: The purpose of the rule is to enable DPS to classify confidential information and records in investigations of missing persons or unidentified human remains to ensure that law enforcement agencies recognize that the release of certain sensitive information would interfere with and be deleterious to active missing persons investigations, or otherwise harm a person, custodian, or reporter in compliance with NMSA 1978, Section 29-15-11.

Copies of the Rule. Copies of the rule may be obtained at all DPS districts, field offices, ports of entry, and regional offices, at the DPS website at https://www.dps.nm.gov/public-information/rule-making/, the sunshine portal at https://statenm.my.salesforce-sites.com/public/SSP_RuleHearingSearchPublic, or by contacting Barbara Ryan, Assistant General Counsel, at 505.538-0262 or barbara.ryan@dps.nm.gov.

Statutory Authorization. The statutory authorization for this rule, NMAC 10.2.5 CLASSIFYING CONFIDENTIALITY OF INFORMATION AND RECORDS IN MISSING PERSONS INVESTIGATIONS, is set forth in Subsection E of Section 9-19-6 NMSA 1978; and NMSA 1978, Section 29-15-11.

Permanent Rule. The proposed rule will be a permanent rule.

Comment on the Rule. Interested persons may comment on the proposed permanent rule either at the hearing, by submitting written statements to Monique Barreras, DPS Office of Legal Affairs Law Clerk at 4491 Cerrillos Rd., P.O. Box 1628, 87504-1628, or by email at moniquet.barreras@dps.nm.gov. All mailed statements must be received by June 5, 2026. Early submission of written statements is encouraged. Interested persons may also comment in writing at the public hearing.

Reasonable Accommodation. Individuals with disabilities who need any form of auxiliary aid to attend or participate in the public hearing, including a reader, amplifier, qualified sign language interpreter, or any form of auxiliary aid or service, are asked to contact Monique Barreras by telephone at 505.660.9270 or by email at moniquet.barreras@dps.nm.gov as soon as possible and no later than May 24, 2026. DPS requires at least ten calendar days’ advance notice to provide special accommodations.