ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New Mexico State Police have been stepping up enforcement on a variety of crimes in the metro since September. But the latest operation aimed at keeping the highways safe started Friday. 

Last fall, KOB 4 got a ride-along with NMSP as they began to have a larger presence in the metro. 

“Yeah, so back in September of 2023, New Mexico State Police began a series of proactive operations in the Albuquerque area,” said NMSP Spokesperson Lt. Phil Vargas.

They were cracking down on a number of issues like robbery, drugs, and more. Part of their job was to keep I-25 and I-40 safe. 

Now they’re stepping up traffic enforcement with Operation Angels in Black. 

“In addition to addressing the violent crime issue, several uniform, our uniformed bureau was tasked with conducting traffic enforcement operations in the Bernalillo County area to reduce crashes, aggressive driving, seatbelt usage, distracted driving, and DWI,” Vargas said.

It began Friday and runs through Tuesday.  Folks may see more state police cars on the interstate.

In fact, a KOB 4 reporter saw state police pull over a driver Monday on their way to another story.  The goal is to prevent tragedy on the roads whenever possible.

“Obviously speeding during this time of the year can be tragic based on the weather conditions, road conditions, people just not understanding, you know, the seriousness of driving at a high rate of speed,” said Vargas.

The Angels in Black Operation is set to end this week, but there will still be plenty of state police in the area. There’s a bigger operation they started back in September to stop violent crime called Take Back Albuquerque. That’s an ongoing operation, so there’s no end date for that.