A. The secretary is responsible to the governor for the operation of the department. It is the secretary's duty to manage all operations of the department and to administer and enforce the laws with which the secretary or the department is charged.

B. To perform the secretary's duties, the secretary has every power expressly enumerated in the laws, whether granted to the secretary or the department or any division of the department, except where authority conferred upon any division is explicitly exempted from the secretary's authority by statute. In accordance with these provisions, the secretary shall:

(1) except as otherwise provided in the Department of Public Safety Act, exercise general supervisory and appointing authority over all department employees, subject to any applicable personnel laws and regulations;

(2) delegate authority to subordinates as the secretary deems necessary and appropriate, clearly delineating such delegated authority and the limitations thereto;

(3) organize the department into those organizational units the secretary deems will enable it to function most efficiently, subject to any provisions of law requiring or establishing specific organizational units;

(4) within the limitations of available appropriations and applicable laws, employ and fix the compensation of those persons necessary to discharge the secretary's duties;

(5) take administrative action by issuing orders and instructions, not inconsistent with the law, to assure implementation of and compliance with the provisions of law with the administration or execution of which the secretary is responsible and to enforce those orders and instructions by appropriate administrative action in the court;

(6) conduct research and studies that will improve the operation of the department and examine other entities and functions of state government related to public safety for purposes of possible transfer to the department;

(7) provide courses of instruction and practical training for employees of the department and other persons involved in the administration of programs with the objective of improving the operations and efficiency of administration;

(8) prepare an annual budget of the department;

(9) provide cooperation, at the request of heads of administratively attached agencies, in order to:

(a) minimize or eliminate duplication of services and jurisdictional conflicts;

(b) coordinate activities and resolve problems of mutual concern; and

(c) resolve by agreement the manner and extent to which the department shall provide budgeting, recordkeeping and related clerical assistance to administratively attached agencies, if any;

(10) appoint, with the governor's consent, for each division, a director. These appointed positions are exempt from the provisions of the Personnel Act [Chapter 10, Article 9 NMSA 1978]. Persons appointed to these positions shall serve at the pleasure of the secretary;

(11) appoint the director of the New Mexico law enforcement academy, subject to the approval of the New Mexico law enforcement academy board;

(12) give bond in the penal sum of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) and require directors to each give bond in the penal sum of ten thousand dollars ($10,000), conditioned upon the faithful performance of duties as provided in the Surety Bond Act [10-2-13 to 10-2-16 NMSA 1978], with the department paying the cost of such bonds; and

(13) require performance bonds of such employees and officers as the secretary deems necessary as provided in the Surety Bond Act, with the department paying the costs of such bonds.

C. The secretary may apply for and receive, with the governor's approval, in the name of the department, any public or private funds, including but not limited to United States government funds, available to the department to carry out its programs, duties or services.

D. Where functions of departments overlap or a function assigned to one department could better be performed by another department, the secretary may recommend appropriate legislation to the next session of the legislature for its approval.

E. The secretary may make and adopt such reasonable and procedural rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out the duties of the department and its divisions. No rule or regulation promulgated by the director of any division in carrying out the functions and duties of the division shall be effective until approved by the secretary unless otherwise provided by statute. Nothing in this section erodes or changes the powers and duties of the law enforcement academy board as set forth in Sections 29-7-3 and 29-7-4 NMSA 1978. Unless otherwise provided by statute, no regulation affecting any person or agency outside the department shall be adopted, amended or repealed without a public hearing on the proposed action before the secretary or a hearing officer designated by the secretary. The public hearing shall be held in Santa Fe unless otherwise permitted by statute. Notice of the subject matter of the regulation, the action proposed to be taken, the time and place of the hearing, the manner in which interested persons may present their views and the method by which copies of the proposed regulation, proposed amendment or repeal of an existing regulation may be obtained shall be published once at least thirty days prior to the hearing date in a newspaper of general circulation in the state and mailed at least thirty days prior to the hearing date to all persons who have made a written request for advance notice of hearing.

F. All rules and regulations shall be filed in accordance with the State Rules Act [Chapter 14, Article 4 NMSA 1978].

History: 1978 Comp., § 9-18-6, enacted by Laws 1987, ch. 254, § 6; 1989, ch. 204, § 5; 2015, ch. 3, § 2.

The 2015 amendment, effective July 1, 2015, provided for the reorganization of the department of public safety by clarifying references to the secretary of public safety; changed "he" to "the secretary", and "his" to "the secretary's" throughout the section; in Subsection B, Paragraph 1, after "regulations," deleted the remainder of the sentence; in Subsection B, Paragraph 5, after the second occurrence of "action," deleted "or actions"; and in Subsection E, added the third sentence, relating to the law enforcement academy board.

Effect of adoption of procedural rules and regulations. — A written manual adopted pursuant to statute containing policies and procedures governing the employment of state police officers created an implied contract regarding terms of employment. Whittington v. N.M. Dep't of Pub. Safety, 2004-NMCA-124, 136 N.M. 503, 100 P.3d 209, cert. denied, 2004-NMCERT-010, 136 N.M. 541, 101 P.3d 807.