OC-26-16: Second and Third Quarters Fiscal Year 2026 IPRA Report

Description

Second and Third Quarters Fiscal Year 2026 IPRA Report

Summary

OC-26-16 reports Albuquerque’s handling of public-records requests under New Mexico’s Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) during FY2026’s second and third quarters. The City received 10,083 requests, including 7,756 involving APD, while APD requests rose 32% from the prior year. Video and body-camera requests—particularly from commercial or monetized media—created significant processing demands. The City closed 42% of requests within 20 days, digitized 325,000 records, and reported a backlog of 1,719 requests supported by 28 dedicated staff. The report states that annual requests have grown from about 4,500 in FY2017 to 21,705 in FY2026. It identifies gaps in IPRA regarding commercial requesters and modern digital records, emphasizing the need to evaluate whether the law keeps pace with public access demands.