Criminal History Clearinghouse, working non-stop to ensure safety of all New Mexicans

Around the clock, the Criminal History Clearinghouse under the Law Enforcement Records Bureau for the Department of Public Safety is doing their part to keep New Mexicans safe.

They do this three ways: by managing 'threat to life' calls such as bomb threats, domestic violence, school shootings and social media threats; preventing law enforcement operation conflicts know as 'deconflictions;' and providing reports on criminal history to 16 courts/18 judges in the state for bond determination.

Currently, the clearinghouse pulls criminal history information from multiple sources, looking for any arrests, warrants, court cases, whether someone is on probation or parole and their status as a sexual offender. With that information the court is able to determine what to set for bail.

The Criminal History Clearinghouse team from left to right: Jessica Mascarenas, Kristin Larranaga, Melanie Guillen and Ricardo Montoya. Not pictured: Tracey Berzi, Caremia O'Bryant, Jade Chacon and Sophia Candelaria.

"It's important to provide this accurate history so the judge can determine bail," said Melanie Guillen, supervisor of the clearinghouse unit since 2025. "It can take some time to compile a report. I've had some reports that take an entire 8-hour shift to complete."

The clearinghouse, which completed 7,782 reports in 2025, understands how important their role is to public safety.

"We're keeping the community safe by completing these reports and making sure if someone has an extensive history of warrants or failure to appear for court appearances often it can help judges make a decision on whether they should be released or how soon," said Jessica Mascarenas, analyst, who did similar data collection work for the healthcare industry in between working three of the last four years at the clearinghouse. "I like researching and investigating and putting pieces together for a solid report on somebody knowing that it is not going to shred bin somewhere - that it is actually providing a service that is beneficial."

The Dr. Timothy F. Fleming Building where the Criminal History Clearinghouse team works in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The clearinghouse also ensures law enforcement and public safety by preventing 'blue-on-blue' conflicts as agencies may be working in the same geographic area on different unrelated cases without knowing. They monitor around the clock law enforcement operations in the state that are entered into a deconfliction database.

"If law enforcement operations are within close proximity to each other or involve the same suspects, it throws off an alarm," said Guillen, who previously worked for the Santa Fe County Corrections in Juvenile Detention then Adult Detention Facilities. "We get that alarm and contact the agencies and give them information of the conflict and they can coordinate. So, if an officer is on an operation at a convenience store, and right next door another agency is managing a drug bust for example they want to be aware of each other. Especially when undercover officers are involved. It keeps them safe and keeps everyone in the surrounding area safe.

Melanie Guillen, supervisor of the clearinghouse unit and Kristin Larranaga, senior analyst with the clearinghouse unit.

"I think the deconflictions are a very important part of what we do. Communicating with the officers and making sure we have the right information out there and having the officers know that we are keeping them informed so they can do their job as safely as possible is really critical."

Operations entered in the system include non-criminal such as tobacco compliance to criminal such as drug busts and warrant arrests.

"There are operations happening in New Mexico constantly and being able to facilitate awareness is key," said Ricardo Montoya, staff manager of the Criminal History Clearinghouse and Conceal and Carry Unit. "Working here requires dedication and sacrifice, and I think it is important to recognize that the whole team here is willing to do what is needed."

Ricardo Montoya, staff manager of the Criminal History Clearinghouse and Conceal and Carry Unit.

"I think a lot of people have this idea that everyone just knows what is going on all the time," said Kristin Larranaga, senior analyst for the clearinghouse, who previously worked in felony intake and then as a program assistant in the DWI unit at the District Attorney's Office. "Being able to prevent any blue-on-blue conflict is really important. My stepdad is retired law enforcement, so I have a lot of respect for our officers and making sure that they are safe."

The Criminal History Clearinghouse also manages 'threat to life' calls from the FBI for New Mexico State Police - coordinating with law enforcement liaisons, local law enforcement agencies when applicable and the FBI.

"For the 'threat to life,' we basically work behind the scenes, but what we do as far as those threats is very important for the community and keeping them safe," said Guillen. "It's critical to make sure the right information reaches the right people at the right time - helping protect lives, uphold the law and maintain trust in the justice system."

Once they receive the call, the clearinghouse gathers information such as the 'who, what, when, where and why.' They then make a call to the New Mexico State Police's Investigations Bureau to determine if it will be managed by the state police, a local police department or the local FBI office.

"The 'threat to life' calls we get and working with different police departments or state police and seeing what their response is to different situations and knowing we are a piece of that and keeping the public safe makes it all worthwhile," said Mascarenas.

Jessica Mascarenas, analyst for the Criminal History Clearinghouse.

Montoya concluded: "One of the things I find most amazing is that the clearinghouse is a conduit of communication for so many different levels and layers of public safety. From the 'threat to life' calls, the intelligence reports, the 'deconflictions,' the criminal history reports provided to the judicial system - they are all intertwined in the justice system to ensure information goes where it needs to. It's a quiet, powerful tool. I feel privileged to be a part of it."

The unit also includes analysts Tracey Berzi, Caremia O'Bryant, Jade Chacon and Sophia Candelaria.

Story by New Mexico Department of Public Safety Public Information Officer John Heil. Photos by DPS Media Relations Unit - Payton Santillanes.