ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — They always say repeat offenders trigger repeat arrests but tracking down “criminal frequent flyers” gets harder with every new change.

New Mexico’s Fugitive Apprehension Team is dedicated to going undercover to make those repeat arrests.

At the New Mexico Department of Corrections, operation briefings start before dawn. Then, the Fugitive Apprehension Team goes out to get probation absconders back into custody.

There is often a focus on absconders with violent histories, so some operations require the use of bulletproof vests.

Investigators say time is of the essence when you’re tracking a moving target. They’ll spend hours building a case before they move in.

The Fugitive Apprehension Team has 19 investigators statewide to track down more than 1,600 absconders. Most investigators are in the Albuquerque metro, covering Bernalillo, Valencia and Sandoval counties.

Some arrests aren’t easy, either.

KOB 4 received an inside look at the team’s operations in the video above.