BCSO asks legislature for technology upgrades

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — It may almost be 2025, but Undersheriff Johann Jareno said when it comes to technology, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office is behind the times.

“We need to get up to speed and we are I believe maybe right now 2022 when it comes to technology,” he said. “But we need to get to 2024-25 and for that we need an increase in our budget to be able to stay a step ahead.”

That’s why they’re asking state lawmakers for $8 million in tech upgrades ahead of the 60-day session in January.

“It’s not just one specific aspect of technology, almost every single aspect of law enforcement there is a branch that can be attached to something technology wise and we here as an agency are far behind,” Jareno said.

BCSO launched a drone program back in 2023 to help with investigations, adding 30 drones to their fleet.

Now they want to add more so they can respond faster to scenes. This will allow them to get a real-time look at what’s going on to better coordinate resources.

“Things like drones, things like our body-worn cameras, our taser system,” Jareno said. “But also the ability to have more eyes out there that can help our deputies to obtain more information for critical situations, as well as information that we can obtain to help the community and to solve crimes faster.”

They want to invest more in software so they can share data with surrounding agencies.

In that same vein, they want to update their dispatch systems to give deputies more accurate information.

“When we talk about technology it is for our command center,” Jareno said. “When it has to do with our ability to increase the amount of drones for tactical purposes. Any intelligence purposes and as well when it has to do with license plate readers or gun detection cameras.”

Jareno said they are big on technology and think these upgrades will help them respond to crime more efficiently if approved by lawmakers.