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On Monday a federal judge granted a joint motion to end the federal oversight of the Albuquerque Police Department regarding excessive force. This effort for Justice Department and the City of Albuquerque filing a joint motion seeking U.S. District Court approval to terminate the federal consent decree covering the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) since 2015. The joint motion follows a long record of findings that APD has maintained full compliance with the decree. Ryan Ellison, of Alamogordo has been appointed as the United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico and approved of the filing.
“This ruling finalizes what the department and our community have worked tirelessly for over the last decade: we have earned back the right to run our own police department,” Mayor Tim Keller stated in part in a news release Monday. “I made it clear from day one, we would meet our challenges head-on, making hard changes, building new systems, and proving APD can uphold the highest standards on its own. This moment shows that reform and strong policing can go hand in hand, and that trust, accountability, and safety are not competing values — they’re connected.”
APD has been under the settlement agreement since 2014 after nearly two dozen officer-involved shootings and cases of excessive force. Since then, APD has been under independent monitoring and a consent decree with the DOJ, a process that has cost the city millions of dollars. Over time, the police department has worked to meet goals outlined by the consent decree.
The federal oversight originally implemented to address concerns over excessive force and accountability within APD, allows for termination once the City demonstrates “sustained and continuing improvement” across specific outcome measures, including use of force, crisis response, officer training, supervision, and internal investigations.
Recent data from 2022 and beyond confirm that APD has met those requirements. Notably:
- Use of Force: APD has significantly reduced the frequency and severity of force. In 2022, force incidents declined 18% from the previous year, and over 60% involved only low-level force. Only 4% of force cases were found out of policy, and each was met with appropriate corrective action.
- Crisis Response: Less than 1% of behavioral health and suicide-related calls involved force, and the City’s Albuquerque Community Safety department has diverted tens of thousands of calls away from police to civilian responders.
- Accountability and Oversight: APD reviews every use of force, sustains misconduct findings when appropriate, and has strengthened its internal and civilian oversight systems.
- Training and Culture: Officers are receiving consistent, CASA-aligned training, and data shows a shift toward a culture of self-correction and accountability.
This progress marks a turning point for the APD. With sustained improvements across every core area of the agreement, the Justice Department and the City are confident that APD is ready to move forward independently, continuing its commitment to constitutional policing.
“It wasn’t an easy road, but we continued to push forward and slowly this team and all of our officers became accustomed to what was necessary to get into compliance,” APD Chief Harold Medina stated in the news release. “This is a victory for the men and women of the Albuquerque Police Department who have changed their culture. They are the ones that have put the most blood, sweat and tears into this, faced the most scrutiny. They have done a wonderful job at changing the culture of the Albuquerque Police Department.”
U.S. District Judge James Browning of Albuquerque dismissed the matter with prejudice.
More News from Alamogordo
- NMAA State Golf Championship Results Tigers Place 3rd The 2025 NMAA state golf championships wrapped up on Tuesday afternoon. The Alamogordo Boys finished 3rd and the Girls were T-5th at the 5A State Championships
- Washington Street Bridge Repair Plan In Progress to Soon Reopen 10th Street Washington Street Bridge on 10th Street is scheduled for a temporary repair effort on order to again open access.
