The National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement held its 22nd conference this week, focusing on confronting systemic injustice.
APD Forward — a community coalition working to reform APD — and the Albuquerque Civilian Police Oversight Agency outlined their plan for creating effective police reform within the Albuquerque Police Department.
“APD Forward and the CPOA are two community efforts to promote accountability within APD with a focus on officer use of force,” said Peter Simonson, executive director of the New Mexico American Civil Liberties Union.
Police brutality has been a problem in Albuquerque for decades, he said. The solution has been to improve on police oversight initiatives.
Adriann Barboa, Strong Families field director, said APD Forward strives to provide opportunities for community involvement by keeping a voice in the media, and helping the public stay well-informed on officer-involved shootings.
“We all have a say in creating a safe and healthy Albuquerque,” she said.
They help build mutual respect with police and the community by coordinating roundtable meetings that bring the two together, Barboa said. APD Police Chief Gordon Eden, Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry and police administration have been invited to help create the culture shift needed.
Amanda Bustos, CPOA outreach coordinator, said no APD officers were at the seminar as full participants.
All nine members of the Police Oversight Board were present at the conference, Albuquerque CPOA Executive Director Edward Harness said.
The POB has replaced an old oversight committee that the Department of Justice found to be inefficient, he said.
There are multiple cases involving officer-involved shootings that have been forced to a standstill at the Office of the District Attorney, Harness said.
“We currently have officers that have been involved in multiple shootings that have not had their administrative review because of backlog,” he said.
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The board reviews citizen complaints against APD, and can vote to administratively review an officer involved shooting, even if the DA determines there was no misconduct, he said.
POB receives about 250 citizen complaints every year, Harness said.
There are 55 community resources throughout Albuquerque that have paper forms available to submit civilian complaints, Harness said. Citizens can also submit complaints 24/7 through e-mail, fax and the CPOA Facebook page.
“The Police Oversight Board is committed to the citizens of Albuquerque to make sure the backlog is cleared up,” he said.
It is also the board’s duty to recommend policy changes to the chief of police, Harness said. The chief has 45 days to accept or reject the recommendation, and cite his reason.
“We continue to move forward, and have great cooperation from our city council,” he said.
Interim Secretary of State and City Councilor Brad Winter said the city has a diverse board that is moving in the right direction.
The DOJ’s report on excessive use of force as a result of systemic deficiencies in policy, training, supervision and accountability have been the platform that the reforms are built on.
The report went on to say that “APD often used deadly force against people who pose minimum threat, use non-deadly force in inappropriate ways and frequently use excessive force against people with mental illness.”
It has been two years since APD signed a settlement agreement with the DOJ to implement reform within the department.
Significant changes occurred in APD’s handling of tactical units, internal investigations, training and civilian complaints, Simonson said.
APD Forward and POB’s role is to ensure the sustainability of the reforms and to make sure they stay intact, he said.
“There have been some improvements, there are still concerns to the community about whether or not APD will continue to comply with the DOJ’s settlement agreement,” Simonson said.
Nikole McKibben is a news reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @nmckibben92.
