Albuquerque Community Safety Department Celebrates Three Years of Service
ALBUQUERQUE — Albuquerque Community Safety (ACS) is celebrating its third anniversary of serving the community with dedication and innovation. Since its inception, ACS has led the way in reimagining public safety by dispatching specialized responders trained in social work and related fields to handle behavioral health emergencies. As of September 1, 2024, ACS has responded to more than 82,000 calls for service, with 85% of those calls successfully diverted from the Albuquerque Police Department (APD).
"Over the past three years, ACS has quickly become an integral part of our public safety response and has proven that we can reshape the way we respond to people in need and get them the right help at the right time,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “The dedicated leadership and staff at ACS are showing up for our city every day, and in turn, their efforts are helping the rest of our emergency response departments focus on violent crime and life-threatening situations. ACS has set a new national standard for alternative response, and Albuquerque is better off because we have this department.”
ACS was created as a new cabinet-level department in 2020 in response to community calls for reform and to alleviate the overwhelming volume of calls faced by the Albuquerque Police Department. ACS began operations in September 2021. The department’s creation was driven by a community-led planning committee that provided guidance on ACS’s operations and policies.
“Reaching this three-year milestone reflects the hard work and dedication of everyone at ACS,” said ACS Director Jodie Esquibel. “It’s crucial for us to keep engaging with the community as we make decisions to improve our services and better meet Albuquerque’s needs. We are so grateful to the community, our partners, the Albuquerque Police Department, and Albuquerque Fire Rescue for their ongoing support and collaboration.”
ACS currently has 103 employees and is looking to hire for additional roles including Behavioral Health Responder positions. The department’s expansion includes a significant increase in handling high-priority cases such as suicidal ideations, welfare checks and behavioral health crises. At the end of 2023, ACS introduced 24/7 operations with the launch of its graveyard shift, which has already responded to over 8,500 calls.
ACS’s pioneering approach has garnered national recognition, inspiring other cities to develop similar programs. This August, representatives from 10 different city entities, nonprofits and reform groups (amongst them police and fire chiefs, city councilors and grassroots organizers) from the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area visited ACS to learn about the department’s innerworkings in the hopes of launching similar programs in their cities.
In 2022, Seattle's Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) Department leaders visited Albuquerque to learn from ACS’s model. That same year Seattle launched their CARE program and have grown it exponentially since.
With continued expansion and a growing national influence, ACS stands as a model for community-driven reform, drawing interest from cities across the nation. As it celebrates its third anniversary, ACS remains committed to evolving its services and further strengthening partnerships to meet Albuquerque’s needs.