SANTA FE, N.M. — The city of Santa Fe today announced that it has put its DWI vehicle forfeiture program on hold.
According to a news release, the New Mexico Court of Appeals on Dec. 5 ruled that state law preempts Albuquerque’s civil forfeiture ordinance.
“Although the case was specific to Albuquerque, in a broad ruling the court held that state law was intended to allow only criminal—not civil forfeiture, in any jurisdiction in the state,” the city said in a news release. “In response, we’re putting a moratorium on our DWI Vehicle Forfeiture program. The moratorium will hold until further notice.”
