ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A federal judge Monday granted a joint motion to end the federal oversight of the Albuquerque Police Department regarding excessive force.
“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.
In 2024, the Monitoring Team determined APD met all requirements in the CASA. Flash forward to 2025: the U.S. Department of Justice and the City of Albuquerque filed the joint motion for dismissal Friday, which follows a long record of findings that APD has maintained full compliance with the court-approved settlement agreement, according to a previous news release from the DOJ.
“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.”
Federal officials highlighted the most notable requirements APD met:
- 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.
The Justice Department also wrote in the May 9 news release that it is “confident that APD is ready to move forward independently, continuing its commitment to constitutional policing.”
U.S. District Judge James Browning of Albuquerque dismissed the matter with prejudice.
When asked for comment, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico referred KRQE to its May 9 news release.
