Our mission is to improve the quality of life of the citizens of Bernalillo County by reducing crime through the thoughtful enforcement of the law and the development of a criminal justice system that reflects the values and priorities of this community.

The Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office serves victims of crime in the Bernalillo County area by prosecuting offenders on behalf of the State of New Mexico. The office consists of 4 different divisions: Major Crimes, General Crimes, Juvenile Crimes, and Metro Court. We are a team of attorneys, paralegals, investigators, victim advocates, and legal support staff who are all dedicated to making this community safer.

The attorney responsible for presenting the case against an individual accused of breaking the law. All the attorneys at the DA’s office are prosecutors.

We cannot provide legal counsel or advice to members of the public. If you require legal representation, please follow the links below to the Law Office of the Public Defender to apply for counsel or the New Mexico State Bar Directory to hire a private lawyer (please note that our office is unable to provide direct referrals to attorneys).

Public Defender: http://www.lopdnm.us/ (Note: you must meet certain income requirements to qualify for a public defender)

NM State Bar: https://www.nmbar.org/nmstatebar/Directory/Nmstatebar/For_Public/For_Public.aspx?hkey=29b698b1-2859-4ab3-926e-419ac60cf623

Other legal and community resources: https://seconddistrictcourt.nmcourts.gov/community-legal-resources.aspx

Our victim service center is here to support victims of crime and their families throughout the legal process. It is not required to have an open case to receive support from our Victim Resource Center. We can help you file an order of protection, initiate a case, and find various resources.

There are certain requirements that must be met to qualify for a housing letter:

A. You must be named as the victim in a domestic violence case that is currently pending in our office. 
B. You must have a restraining order against the defendant in the pending case and provide a copy. 
C. You must currently be living in a shelter as a result of the incident and provide a letter from the shelter verifying your residence with them. 
D. You must be willing to cooperate in the prosecution of the case. (If you miss any required hearings or stop being cooperative in the case your housing will be taken from you.) 
E. You must have children, be over the age of 50, or have a disability. (You have to provide a letter from a Doctor/Therapist to verify your disability to Housing).

Domestic violence is a pattern of behaviors used by one partner to maintain power and control over another partner in an intimate relationship.

Domestic violence does not discriminate. Anyone of any race, age, sexual orientation, religion, or gender can be a victim – or perpetrator – of domestic violence. It can happen to people who are married, living together, or who are dating. It affects people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels.

Domestic violence includes behaviors that physically harm, arouse fear, prevent a partner from doing what they wish, or force a partner to behave in ways they do not want. It includes the use of physical and sexual violence, threats and intimidation, emotional abuse, and economic deprivation. Many of these different forms of domestic violence and abuse can occur at the same time within the same intimate relationship.

Housing resources:
Domestic Violence Resource Center:
https://www.dvrcnm.org/
(505) 248-3165

SAFE house
https://www.safehousenm.org/  
(505) 247- 4219

Haven House:
https://www.havenhouseinc.org/
(505) 896-4869
24 hour hotline: 1-800-526-7157

Catholic Charities:
http://www.ccasfnm.org
(505) 724-4670

Albuquerque Housing Authority
https://www.abqha.org
(505) 764-3920

To initiate a case you must first file a police report by calling:
(505) 242-COPS
More information about the Telephone Reporting Unit can be found here:
https://www.cabq.gov/police/contact-the-police/telephone-reporting-unit

To initiate a case you must first file a police report by calling:
(505) 242-COPS
More information about the Telephone Reporting Unit can be found here:
https://www.cabq.gov/police/contact-the-police/telephone-reporting-unit

To find the status of your case visit:
https://caselookup.nmcourts.gov/caselookup/

If you were not assigned a case number and have already filed a police report, please call our office at (505) 222-1099 and we will help direct you.

Under New Mexico law, only individuals that are household members can apply for a temporary order of protection. A “household member” is defined as a legally married spouse, a parent, a grandparent, a step-child, a grandchild, a co-parent, or individuals in a continuing close personal relationship with characteristics of emotional connectedness, regular contact, and ongoing physical contact and/or sexual behavior who identify as a couple, or have familiarity and knowledge about each other's lives.

You can fill out the forms online, you can find them here: https://www.nmcourts.gov/Self-Help/domestic-violence-forms.aspx

Due to Covid-19 our confidential kiosks located in the Victim Resource Center are unavailable.

You will need basic contact information for you (the Petitioner) and for any other person for whom you are also seeking protection (a Protected Party), such as:
- Addresses and contact information
- Date of birth, if known
- Employer information, if known
- Information about children, if any
- Details of the bad or dangerous conduct of the person you are seeking protection from (the Respondent)
- The location of this person, if known.

This court handles misdemeanor cases and can only assign penalties of jail time less than 365 days and fines less than $1000.

401 Lomas Blvd. NW
Albuquerque, NM 87102

This court handles felony cases in Bernalillo County, which carry more serious penalties and fines.

400 Lomas Blvd. NW
Albuquerque, NM  87102

Children’s Court, located at the John E. Brown Juvenile Justice Center, handles youthful offender cases.
5100 Second St. NW
Albuquerque, NM  87107

The Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court houses a number of specialty courts and voluntary rehabilitation programs including Behavioral Health Court, DWI Recovery Court, Community Veterans Court, and Outreach Court, among others.

Behavioral health in the criminal justice system can be addressed in a number of specialty courts housed at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court:
- Behavioral Health Court, Behavioral Health DWI Court, Competency Court, Outreach Court, and the Urban Native American Healing to Wellness Court.
- In addition, there are Problem- solving courts such as Drug Court, DWI Drug Court, Family Dependency Court, Mental Health Court.
- These programs can be accessed through referrals and voluntary commitment as an alternative to continuing with the traditional criminal justice system and prosecution. For more information about each specialty court, please visit https://metro.nmcourts.gov/mental-health-court.aspx.