ALBUQUERQUE – The U.S. Justice Department reached a court-enforced agreement with the City of Albuquerque to put into effect sweeping reforms on the use of force by its police department, officials said Friday.
The agreement will bring an array of reforms to the Albuquerque Police Department and its use of force against people, according to authorities.
Officials said the agreement – that was hammered out after a year of investigation into the department’s practices – overhauls the way police handle use of force by its officers as spelled in the letter by the Justice Department in April 2014, officials said.
The City Council will consider the settlement in a special session scheduled next week.
“The overwhelming majority of our nation’s law enforcement officials perform their duties with exceptional courage, integrity, and professionalism—risking their lives every day to keep their communities safe,” said Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.
Adding, “But whenever a pattern of troubling conduct is uncovered, or that high standard is not met, the Department of Justice must and will take action. The far-reaching agreement we have secured in this case will transform the culture and practices of the Albuquerque Police Department. And I am confident that, with the cooperation of city leaders and brave law enforcement officials, we will take significant steps to restore trust with local citizens and build for Albuquerque’s residents the stronger, safer, and more secure communities that all Americans deserve.“
Since 2010, Albuquerque police officers have shot 37 people, 27 of them fatally. The shootings are what prompted the Justice Department to open its investigation, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Mike Gomez, who won a lawsuit against the city after his unarmed son Alan was killed by police in 2010, said he was “hopeful with the consent decree” because it requires officers to wear lapel cameras and calls for more civilian oversight.
In addition to use of force practices, the federal investigation found that officers routinely use deadly force and less lethal force in an unreasonable manner. The Justice Department blamed this on deficiencies in policies, training, supervision, and oversight on police practices.
Extensive community outreach was done by the Justice Department following the release of its findings, officials said.
Under the settlement agreement, the city and the Albuquerque Police Department will implement comprehensive reforms in nine substantive areas. An independent monitoring team will be selected jointly and will oversee the reforms, which are expected to be implemented within four years.
The areas covered by the settlement agreement include the following:
- Use of force: including requiring supervisors to report to the scene of uses of force; providing medical care to victims of force immediately after an incident; improving the quality of force investigations; developing a force review board to detect and correct patterns and trends involving the use of force, and using surrounding law enforcement agencies as part of a multi-agency task force to investigate officer-involved shootings to provide greater accountability.
- Crisis intervention: including establishing a mental health response advisory committee; providing behavioral health training to all officers, police dispatchers, and 9-1-1 operators; and maintaining groups of specially-trained first responders, detectives, and mental health professionals that provide crisis intervention to people with serious mental illness or who are chronically homeless.
- Policies and training: including developing comprehensive policies on use of force, preventing retaliation, supporting officers who report misconduct, and improving the field training program to ensure that officers develop the necessary skills required to use force in a lawful manner.
- Internal and civilian complaint investigations: including measures to eliminate deadlines for the submission of civilian complaints; standards for conducting thorough and timely investigations; steps to ensure that the disciplinary system is fair and consistent; and protocols to protect officers’ rights against self-incrimination.
- Staffing and supervision: including holding supervisors accountable for close and effective supervision; and providing guidance on the effective use of on-body recording systems to promote accountability and strengthen public trust.
- Officer assistance and support: including measures to ensure that Albuquerque Police Department personnel have ready access to mental health services.
- Community engagement and oversight: including measures to strengthen the city’s civilian oversight process; public information programs that keep members of the public informed of Albuquerque Police Department’s progress toward reform; and establishing community policing councils throughout the city to ensure feedback from the community.
(The Fatal Shooting of a Homeless Man by Albuquerque Police)
The independent monitoring team will oversee the implementation of reforms, officials said. The settlement agreement requires two years of sustained compliance with the terms of the agreement before it can be terminated.