Albuquerque Police Department
The Albuquerque Police Department is the municipal law enforcement agency of Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is the largest police force in the state, with approximately 1,000 sworn officers in 2022.
In addition to serving as the primary police force of Albuquerque, APD officers are sworn in as special deputy sheriffs by the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office, which grants jurisdiction over Bernalillo County.
APD has a history of police brutality and misconduct, and between 2010 and 2016 reportedly had the highest rate of police-involved fatal shootings in the United States. Since 2014, an ongoing consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice has resulted in significant but incomplete progress in training and the reduction excessive use of force.
History
Founding
Starting in 1881, the unincorporated town of Albuquerque was patrolled by a succession of marshals, aided by volunteer watchmen. The city's first police chief, J.R. Galusha, was appointed in 1916.Twentieth century
The Albuquerque Police Department underwent significant changes under Chief Paul Shaver who remains the city's longest-serving police chief. During his tenure, Albuquerque's population more than doubled from 96,000 to 250,000 residents, resulting in Albuquerque Police Department growing from 30 police officers to 380. Chief Shaver administration saw the establishment of a permanent police academy and range, and the creation of the Records Unit and Juvenile Division; police communications, patrol strategies, and investigative procedures were likewise professionalized and modernized.After Shaver's retirement, the city was rocked by rioting following the arrest of several students by police for public intoxication. The ensuing three-day melee was brought under control only after the deployment of the New Mexico National Guard. Thirteen civilians were shot during the disorder, some by police officers and some by private citizens repelling the sporadic looting that accompanied the unrest.
In 1973, the Chicano Police Officers' Association of Albuquerque and twelve Albuquerque police officers led by Refugio Beserra sued the city in federal court, alleging that Hispanic-surnamed applicants were discriminated against in hiring and promotion practices of the police department. The lawsuit survived adverse testimony and several motions to dismiss and even went up to the Supreme Court of the United States before being scheduled for trial in March 1978. On May 15, 1978, the parties agreed to a stipulated judgment that required the city to pay $8,000 to Beserra and $8,000 to the Chicano Police Officers' Association, meet an affirmative action goal of 34% Hispanic-surnamed people in the police department by July 1, 1981, and complete an affirmative action internal audit of the police department to verifiably validate the testing procedures for promotion. APD was also to assign a Chicano police officer to the police academy; and expand department language and cultural awareness training. After the settlement was approved, the lawyers for the Chicano Police Officers' Association requested more money from the city for attorney's fees, and over the dissent of Chief Judge Seth, the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court ordered them to be paid. Despite the settlement, complaints continued even into the 1990s. However, the 34% target had been exceeded by 1993 with a 39.4% Hispanic-surnamed force.
In 1976, Albuquerque police coordinated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Operation Fiesta. The year-long series of undercover investigations and stings, funded by the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, targeted the fencing operations then prolific in the Albuquerque area, resulting in 79 arrests.
Twenty-first century
Albuquerque's police department faced mounting public controversy due to increasing violent encounters between police and residents, including a series of high-profile police-involved shootings that attracted statewide and often national attention. This was exacerbated by reports that the police union had been routinely providing cash payments to officers involved in shootings to help them recover emotionally from the event.In an incident that attracted nationwide attention, on April 12, 2011, two APD police officers in civilian clothing hopped a fence into the backyard of Christopher Torres, who had schizophrenia, in an attempt to serve a warrant. One of the officers, Christopher J. Brown, shot Torres to death following an altercation; a witness testified that the plainclothes officers appeared to be robbers. Stephen Torres, the victim's father, won a wrongful death lawsuit against APD.
By the end of 2012, APD officers had been involved in 25 shootings, of which 17 resulted in at least one fatality. In November 2012, a union-sponsored survey of Albuquerque police officers found that all but three of 456 respondents characterized morale as "low", with 18% saying the U.S. Department of Justice should be asked to initiate an inquiry into the department. Faced with declining morale, as well as pay cuts imposed by the city for budgetary purposes, between 2010 and 2013, the number of police employed by the city of Albuquerque plummeted by more than 15% due to officer resignations.
Department of Justice investigation (2012-2014)
In response to the spate of police-involved shootings that began in 2010, on November 27, 2012, the DOJ launched an investigation into APD's policies and practices to determine whether the department engaged in a pattern or practice of using excessive force in violation of the Fourth Amendment and the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. As part of its investigation, the DOJ consulted with police practices experts and conducted a comprehensive assessment of officers' use of force and APD policies and operations. The investigation included tours of APD facilities and area commands; interviews with Albuquerque officials, APD command staff, supervisors, and police officers; a review of numerous documents; and meetings with the Albuquerque Police Officers Association, residents, community groups, and other stakeholders.Amid the investigation, Albuquerque's KOAT-TV conducted a survey finding that 42% of city residents trusted police, 22% distrusted them, and the remainder "fell somewhere in the middle". City council member Rey Garduño characterized these results as "not good"; Mayor Richard J. Berry said he continued to "stand behind" the police department. In February 2014, Chief Ray Schultz stepped down due to ongoing controversy; he was replaced by Gorden Eden. The following month, approximately 300 Albuquerque residents protested against police in a tumultuous demonstration that ended with tear gas being deployed amid scattered clashes between police and protesters. Mayor Berry stated the protest was sidelined by a small group within the larger demonstration that was determined to create havoc. A counter-protest the following week drew a crowd of several hundred in support of the police.
On March 16, 2014, several Albuquerque police officers were involved in the shooting death of James Boyd, a mentally ill homeless man who was illegally camping on the Sandia Mountains foothills. Following a five-hour standoff, Boyd, who was carrying two camping knives in his hands, was shot three times, in the back and both arms, from at least ten feet away with a semi-automatic rifle. Officers also fired a Taser shotgun, beanbag shotgun, and flashbang grenade. Footage captured on body mounted cameras shows one officer unleashing his K-9 German shepherd against Boyd as he lay on the ground wheezing. Boyd later died at UNM Hospital. The incident drew national attention to Albuquerque's struggles with police-related violence; protests erupted against the excessive use of force, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation opened an investigation. Boyd's brother filed a wrongful death suit against the city, which was settled in July 2015 for $5 million.
Within a month of the Boyd shooting, the DOJ released its report, concluded that the Albuquerque Police Department had a "culture of acceptance of the use of excessive force", frequently not justified by the circumstances, which undervalued civilian safety, discounted the importance of crisis intervention, and caused significant harm or injury to people who posed no threat; the report also found that APD engaged "in a pattern or practice of violating residents' Fourth Amendment rights" and of using deadly force "in an unconstitutional manner". The DOJ called for an extensive series of reforms, including a nearly complete overhaul of the department's use-of-force policies. Following the report, the city and the DOJ negotiated a court-enforceable consent decree which set forth 106 pages of provisions, including the dismantling of the Repeat Offender Project and the reining in of the SWAT team, which had operated outside the command structure for years. On May 3, 2014, police shot and killed Armand Martin following a six-hour standoff between police and Martin, whose wife had called 911 after he allegedly stated an intention to kill his children. According to police, officers opened fire after Martin exited his home shooting wildly at nearby houses with two handguns. Two days later, in response to the shooting, several dozen protesters—led by activists Andres Valdez and David Correia—descended on Albuquerque city council chambers, presenting a self-styled "arrest warrant" for Chief Eden and forcing the premature adjournment of the council meeting. Valdez subsequently declared that he and protesters had successfully deposed the city government in a coup d'état, although the council reconvened normally two days later. Correia, a University of New Mexico professor, stated that the attempted "citizen's arrest" of officials was inspired by the 1967 Reies Tijerina courthouse raid, in which protesters supporting land redistribution stormed a courthouse, gunned down police who attempted to resist the takeover, and took the sheriff and a journalist hostage.