Office of Security Threat Intelligence

The NMCD Fugitive Apprehension Team is comprised of STIU staff from the Adult Prisons and Probation and Parole Divisions, and their primary responsibility is to seek, locate and apprehend parole or probation absconders, prison escapees or other offenders, and return them to custody. The FAT also coordinates and conducts interstate transportation of offenders, and works and assists outside law enforcement agencies with sharing information and resources in matters of mutual interests in order to locate and apprehend anyone that is wanted and/or eluding prosecution.

The NMCD FAT works in direct conjunction with the United States Marshal’s Service in apprehending and bringing fugitives back into custody.

• Absconder – An offender, under NMCD supervision in the community including community corrections facilities, whose whereabouts are no longer known to the supervising Probation Parole Officer (PPO) after reasonable efforts have been made to locate.
• Escapee – Flight from confinement or lawful control of an officer even when on a status such as supervised work release or furlough. One who has escaped from a prison or detention center.
• Fugitive – An offender who has violated the terms of his/her conditions of release into the community and/or is eluding efforts to be remanded back into custody.

The Security Threat Intelligence Unit (STIU) functions as an integral section of the Adult Prisons (APD) and Probation Parole (PPD) Divisions. The STIU is responsible for the identification, monitoring, and management of prison and street gang members incarcerated in New Mexico’s prison system, and those who are on parole and/or probation status.

Additionally, the STIU provides input to the Classification Bureau and Unit Management Teams in the decision-making process involving the custody and institutional assignments of prison and street gang members and those affected by the existence of such gang members whether in the community or in prison. High risk offenders who are on probation and/or parole status are identified and monitored by PPD STIU Officers.

The STIU gathers intelligence to proactively prevent violence in the New Mexico Prison System and in NM Communities to prevent and deter the introduction of narcotics and dangerous contraband. The STIU serves as a liaison to nationwide corrections departments , probation parole divisions and to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The exchange of information and intelligence are daily aspects of the STIU staff duties.

The New Mexico Corrections Department (NMCD) and STIU have been faced with violent feuding between various security threat groups and street gang affiliations; as a result, statewide STIU assessments have been conducted to identify gang leaders and gang members promoting the violent feuding within and outside of the prison settings. Immediate and calculated measures have been implemented through the STIU Administrator’s office in coordination with STIU staff at the facility level, to diligently identify the challenges of deterring the violence and to appropriately address housing and tracking issues and assignments to manage the newly formed gang rivalries. The measures have proven to be effective resulting in the suppression and deterrence of continued gang related violence. The STIU currently manages and monitors approximately 350 incarcerated prison gang members and 1,850 incarcerated street gang members, while approximately 4800 gang members are either on parole, probation or discharge status within our communities.