The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government received notice today from Bernalillo County that it will resume releasing booking sheets and mug shots of juveniles under the care of the Bernalillo County Youth Services Center.
This announcement was accompanied by the release of records related to juveniles recently arrested in conjunction with a high-profile shooting in Albuquerque.
FOG and local media entities had requested these records, and the County had initially denied the requests while it evaluated New Mexico statutes regarding confidentiality of juvenile records. In years past, the County had routinely released these records, but in May of this year, the County announced that it would no longer do so, citing its own new interpretation of state law.
“FOG applauds the County’s decision to rescind its policy and resume releasing juvenile detention records,” said Gregory Williams, president of FOG’s board of directors. “These are records of alleged criminal activity in our community, and nothing in New Mexico law prevents their release.”