Court Opinion

ID: 9550293
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 18:33:37.315812+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:21:20.654275
License: Public Domain

STOWERS, Justice, dissenting. I respectfully dissent. Pursuant to the New Mexico Uniform Commercial Code, a secured creditor has the right to use self-help repossession if it can be done without a breach of peace. NMSA 1978, § 55-9-503 (Repl.Pamp.1987). Thus, under ordinary circumstances the law of self help is permissible. A repossessor, however, may not solicit the sheriff’s office to effectuate such a repossession as the majority opinion correctly points out. The circumstances in the present case were not ordinary. The repossession occurred on a federal military base, which is under federal jurisdiction. It is the policy of the Staff Judge Advocate’s office and the military installation that any person who has to repossess property on the base must first submit the proper papers to that office, and then, the repossessor must be accompanied by a security police officer to assure that there is no breach of the peace. The record indicates that Jones never solicited the military escort but merely complied with the policies set out on the base. The record further shows that Waisner was not intimidated at the .time and was even allowed to make telephone calls to determine the status of the debt owed on the truck. Thereafter, she gave the keys to Jones. If Waisner had refused to turn over the keys, the military escort had no power to arrest her or order her to turn over the vehicle. He had no authority whatsoever to assist in the repossession and did not do so. It is the solicitation of a third person that destroys the concept of self-help repossession. This did not occur in the present case. The security police officer neither encouraged nor directed Jones to repossess the truck in a particular manner. His presence at the scene was not an indispensable prerequisite for the repossession. His attendance was only in furtherance of all his official duties and base policy, and is more like passive surveillance to assure the safety of the repossessor rather than any affirmative participation by the police as in Stone Machinery Co. v. Kessler, 1 Wash. App. 750, 463 P.2d 651 (1970) and Walker v. Walthall, 121 Ariz. 121, 588 P.2d 863 (Ct.App.1978). In both Stone Machinery and Walker there was no policy or procedurei authorizing the sheriff to accompany the repossessor. In the instant case, Jones properly repossessed the vehicle. The security officer was performing his peacekeeping duties required by the base policy when he was present at the repossession, and his mere presence is not a breach of the peace negating an otherwise valid repossession. For these reasons, I dissent.