ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Albuquerque Police Department is now in full compliance with reforms ordered by the U.S. Department of Justice, paving the way for the end of nine years of judicial oversight, authorities said Monday.
The assessment came from a court-appointed, independent monitor who has monitored compliance with the Ministry of Justice decree since 21015.
The DOJ released the findings of the Albuquerque police investigation in 2014, the same year the department came under intense scrutiny for its use of force and number of officer-involved shootings.
But over the past nine years, authorities said the Albuquerque Police Department has made great strides toward compliance with all officers being equipped with body-worn cameras, more training in crisis intervention and a new office of police reform.
The city and the police department will now enter a two-year period during which they must demonstrate their ability to sustain the reforms mandated by the agreement.
Police officials said the department may begin monitoring itself as long as it remains in compliance.
“The road to get here has not been easy, but we have never given up,” Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said in a statement. “We believed that real reform was possible.”
Officials with the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico emphasized the critical need for continued vigilance by the Albuquerque Police Department to ensure the protection of the rights and safety of community members.
Keller and Police Chief Harold Medina plan to hold a news conference Friday to discuss the DOJ settlement agreement and the city’s next reform steps.
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This story has been corrected to show that an independent monitor is court-appointed and not hired by the city.
