Opinion ID: 891589
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the expert was qualified

Text: {15} Under Rule 11-702 NMRA, a witness must qualify as an expert in the field for which his or her testimony is offered before such testimony is admissible. State v. Downey, 2008-NMSC-061, ¶ 26, 145 N.M. 232, 195 P.3d 1244 (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). Rule 11-702 permits a witness to be qualified based on his or her knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education, but no set criteria can be laid down to test such qualifications. Id. (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). We have emphasized the use of the disjunctive or in Rule 11-702 in recognizing the wide discretion given the trial court in qualifying experts to testify. See, e.g., State v. McDonald, 1998-NMSC-034, ¶ 20, 126 N.M. 44, 966 P.2d 752. {16} The trial court qualified Detective Martinez to testify as an expert witness with respect to gang-related law enforcement and gang culture on the basis of his knowledge, skill, and experience in those fields. Defendant argues that Detective Martinez was not qualified to be an expert on these subjects because he (1) did not have personal knowledge of Taos area gangs; (2) did not have a college degree; (3) had not previously testified as an expert before a jury; (4) had never worked undercover in a gang unit; (5) had not published any materials that were subject to peer review; and (6) could not point to any recognized field of study that sought to determine why gang members assault one another. Defendant also argues that Detective Martinez was not qualified to predict the human behavior of gang members. The State contends that Detective Martinez was qualified to give expert testimony on gang culture and gang-related law enforcement because, among his other qualifications, he had thirteen years' experience as a police officer working with gang units, had spent approximately 2,000 hours instructing other law enforcement personnel about gang culture and investigation, and had written the Albuquerque, Bernalillo County Street Gang Manual. {17} In addition to the expert's qualifications upon which the State relies, the record reflects that Detective Martinez also possessed the following qualifications at the time of Defendant's trial. As an investigating officer with the Bernalillo County Sheriff Department's gang unit, it was his responsibility to certify gangs as criminal, identify members of those gangs, and collect intelligence on and conduct investigations of those gangs and individuals. He had been certified by the New Mexico Gang Task Force and the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department, as well as a private entity that certifies police officers who have completed its gang specialization course. His specialist certification was valid with the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In addition to authoring the Albuquerque, Bernalillo County Street Gang Manual, he had also authored training programs on gang-related law enforcement and was certified as an instructor with the New Mexico Law Enforcement Training Academy. Finally, through his work, he had become familiar with Taos area gangs. {18} Based on these qualifications, we cannot say that the trial court abused its discretion in qualifying Detective Martinez as an expert on gang-related law enforcement and gang culture. Rule 11-702 expressly allows experts to be qualified based on their skills and experience, and Detective Martinez's experience with gangs was sufficient to allow his testimony on this subject. That Detective Martinez did not have a college degree, had not previously testified as an expert before a jury, and had never worked undercover in a gang unit does not nullify the trial court's determination that his experience in working with criminal gangs in New Mexico was sufficient for him to testify as an expert on gang culture and the behaviors of gang members. Furthermore, we note that the jury was free to weigh every aspect of Detective Martinez's qualifications in their evaluation of his testimony, and any perceived deficiencies in his qualifications were relevant to the weight accorded by the jury to [the] testimony and not to the testimony's admissibility. McDonald, 1998-NMSC-034, ¶ 21 (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). Therefore, the trial court did not err in qualifying Detective Martinez as an expert.