SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A bill that would end police immunity from prosecution in New Mexico to allow civil right lawsuits in state court cleared its last major hurdle with Senate approval, as Democratic legislators responded to concerns about police brutality and accountability.
The state Senate on Wednesday endorsed the bill 26-15. The proposal would apply to violations of state civil rights guarantees ranging from racial discrimination to illegal search and seizure and freedom of speech violations.
County sheriffs, police associations and insurance authorities for local governments assembled a united front against the initiative. The U.S. Justice Department has intervened in Albuquerque to resolve concerns about excessive force by police.