Officials say new NIBIN system can connect shell casings across jurisdictions and generate investigative leads within days

Damien Willis, Organ Mountain News

LAS CRUCES - Doña Ana County investigators recently made a homicide arrest within four days — an early result officials say reflects the impact of new gun-tracing technology now in use locally.

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez and Doña Ana County Sheriff Kim Stewart on Thursday announced the installation of a gun-tracing system in Doña Ana County that officials say could help solve shootings faster and connect crimes across jurisdictions.

The system, part of the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, or NIBIN, analyzes shell casings recovered at crime scenes and links them to other incidents involving the same firearm.

Torrez said the technology is designed to help law enforcement track how guns move between crimes and communities.

“On average, crime guns … are used on average four different times in four different shootings before they are actually taken into police custody,” Torrez said.

The system feeds data into a statewide Crime Gun Intelligence Center operated by the New Mexico Department of Justice, where analysts compare ballistic evidence and generate leads for investigators.

Officials said the technology allows agencies to connect shootings that might otherwise appear unrelated — including incidents occurring in different cities.

“There may be a shooting that occurs in Deming that’s actually connected to a crime gun that’s recovered in Las Cruces,” Torrez said.

The machine installed at the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office is part of a broader network that includes sites in Gallup, Roswell and San Juan County, with data shared statewide.

Since January, agencies participating in the program have entered more than 250 ballistic samples into the system, linking 10 firearms to 24 separate shooting incidents, according to the attorney general’s office.

Stewart said deputies have already begun using the technology and are seeing early results.

“We resolved a homicide with a suspect arrest in four days,” Stewart said, adding there are indications the gun may be tied to other incidents based on the suspect’s comments.

Officials emphasized that the system depends on officers collecting shell casings at crime scenes — even in cases where no victims are immediately identified.

Torrez said that shift in approach could help solve past and future crimes.

“You could actually be stepping over the brass that could solve a homicide that may have occurred two weeks before or a drive-by shooting that may occur two weeks from now,” he said.

The system also allows investigators to identify patterns in how firearms move between individuals and locations, though officials said that capability will improve as more data is collected.

“We’re in the early phases of this program … but as the program matures … we will then be able to start seeing how trafficked weapons are moving from one community to the next,” Torrez said.

The Doña Ana County system is intended to serve as a regional resource, with surrounding agencies able to submit evidence for analysis.

Officials said expanding participation — and training officers to collect and submit evidence — will be key to the program’s long-term impact.

Damien Willis is founder and editor of Organ Mountain News. If you have a personal story to share or a lead we should follow up on, reach out at OrganMountainNews@gmail.com or connect with him on X at @damienwillis.