New Mexico and Chihuahua
Memorandum of Understanding
In May of 2006, New Mexico signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding with the
State of Chihuahua, Mexico. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) commemorated
the cooperative relationship that exists between the New Mexico and Chihuahua Attorney
General Offices in their efforts to fight crime on both sides of the New Mexico/Chihuahua
Border.
As part of the MOU, New Mexico agreed to assist Chihuahua in its efforts to become
the first Mexican state to reform its criminal justice system to an oral adversarial
process with an emphasis on forensic based evidence rather than a confession based
case.
The Border Violence Division along with the NMSP Crime Scene Investigators have
conducted numerous crime scene trainings which include collection and processing
of forensic evidence, procedural and mock trial workshops throughout the year of
2006 and 2007.
Other agencies within New Mexico that have participated with the reform of Chihuahua’s
criminal justice reform include: Office of the Medical Investigator, DPS Crime Laboratory
and the NMAGO Internet Crimes Against Children Unit.