File via MuckRock

Step 1. Create an account (or sign in)

MuckRock requires a free account before you can file. Use a real email address — MuckRock will forward agency responses to it, and the agency may also email you directly through the platform.

Create a MuckRock account →   Sign in →

Step 2. Decide what records to request

MuckRock's Request body field is a single free-text area labeled something like "Write a short description of the documents you are looking for." You write your own description — MuckRock doesn't accept pre-formatted requests or attachments for the body.

The list below is what we'd ask for if we were filing this request. Use it as a checklist. You can paste the whole list, edit it down, or write your own version based on it.

1. Contracts and agreements — all contracts, MOUs, amendments, and procurement documents between the City (or APD) and any ALPR vendor, including but not limited to Flock Safety, Inc.
2. Policies, procedures, and training — who is authorized to access ALPR data, the process for granting/revoking access, and the criteria for searching or hot-listing a plate.
3. Data-sharing and partner agencies — the names of all law-enforcement and non-law-enforcement entities granted access to Alamogordo's ALPR data, the agreements governing that sharing, and the volume of cross-agency requests fulfilled.
4. Data retention, storage, and deletion — the retention period for non-hit and hit data, where the data is stored (on-premises / vendor cloud), and the deletion/auditing policies.
5. Deployment, locations, and use — the total number of ALPR cameras, their general locations, monthly scan counts, and monthly hit counts.
6. Costs, funding, and budget — the total amount paid to any ALPR vendor by year, the source of funds, and invoices/receipts.
7. Termination and cancellation — the full text of the termination clause, including any notice period, termination fee, data-destruction obligations, and post-termination access rights.

Don't feel obligated to ask for all seven. If you only care about, say, the cost, ask for just category 6. But think twice before trimming: each item forces the agency to either produce or formally deny, which is the part that actually works.

Step 3. Open MuckRock's new-request form

Once you're signed in, open MuckRock's request creation form. The link below prefills the title with a clear subject line so your request is easy to find in the MuckRock archive:

Open MuckRock's new-request form →

Step 4. Fill the form

1. Title — already prefilled by the link above. You can edit it if you want, but the prefilled version is clear.
2. Agency — search for and select Alamogordo Police Department, Alamogordo, NM. If MuckRock doesn't have it in their database, you can add a new agency — use the City of Alamogordo City Clerk as the mailing address (1376 East Ninth Street, Alamogordo, NM 88310) since that's the official records custodian.
3. Request body — the single free-text area. Start with the IPRA statutory citation so the agency treats this as a formal request (and so the 15-day response clock is unambiguous):

   Pursuant to New Mexico's Inspection of Public Records Act (NMSA 1978 §§ 14-2-1 et seq.), I request the following records related to the City of Alamogordo and the Alamogordo Police Department's acquisition and use of automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology, including any system manufactured, sold, or operated by Flock Safety, Vigilant Solutions, Rekor Systems, Motorola Vigilant, or any other ALPR vendor, for the period of January 1, 2023, through the date this request is processed.

   Then list the categories from Step 2 that you want to ask for, in whatever detail you want. You don't need the long sub-item breakdowns from our paper letter version — a one-sentence summary of each category is fine.
4. Other fields (jurisdiction, tags, etc.) — fill in if you want; MuckRock uses them to organize requests. The defaults are fine if you don't want to think about it.

Note on machine-readable format. It's worth also adding a line like "Where records are maintained in an electronic database, I request an export in a machine-readable format (CSV, Excel, or PDF) pursuant to § 14-2-8(B)." IPRA requires the agency to provide records in the format they're maintained in, and a CSV is much more useful than a printout if you want to actually look at the data.

Step 5. Submit and follow up

Hit submit. MuckRock will send the request to the agency and email you a copy. After that, MuckRock handles the rest — if the agency asks follow-up questions, requests clarification, or sends records, you'll get an email. MuckRock will also help you appeal denials or pay fees (their basic account is free; paid accounts handle fees for you).

Track the deadline

New Mexico law gives the agency 15 days to respond for most records (§ 14-2-8(D)) and 3 business days for records to which a law-enforcement-related exception may apply (§ 14-2-8(F)). Mark your calendar from the date you submitted, not the date the agency acknowledges receipt.

If they don't respond in time

You have remedies under § 14-2-12: the New Mexico Attorney General's office enforces IPRA, and you can sue in district court for injunctive relief, damages, and reasonable attorney fees. MuckRock can help you draft the appeal letter, and the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government (NMFOG) will answer questions by email.

Related

• File via paper letter (mail or hand-deliver) →
• All templates and documents →
• Back to Take action →