Mayor Keller, City Officials Release Statements on Threat to Send Federal Forces into Albuquerque
July 21, 2020
Mayor Tim Keller, Albuquerque City Attorney Esteban Aguilar, Jr. and Albuquerque Chief of Police Mike Geier released the following statements in response to reports that the Trump Administration is planning to send federal forces to a number of cities, including Albuquerque.
“There’s no place for Trump’s secret police in our city. If this was more than a stunt, these politicians would support constitutional crime fighting efforts that work for our community, not turning Albuquerque into a federal police state. We will not sell out our own community, or our own police department, for this obvious political agenda; as they try to incite violence by targeting our city and our residents.” – Mayor Tim Keller
“I truly hope this is a not just a cheap political stunt that will only make our city less safe. We coordinate with our federal law enforcement partners every day. What is being described is not real crime fighting; it’s politics standing in the way of police work. Contrary to the claims of the politicians in Washington, D.C., we came into long-standing challenges with crime in Albuquerque and have worked closely with our community to make the city safer. Homicides are down this year and protests have been mostly peaceful in Albuquerque and much less violent and destructive than other cities because of our focus on reform and community policing.” – APD Chief of Police Mike Geier
“Federal agents in Oregon are snatching protesters off the street without identifying their agency or establishing probable cause. It is an unconstitutional affront to representative democracy. These forces do not abide by the constitutional crime fighting reforms implemented under the DOJ, and will break the trust APD and our community have invested years in rebuilding. We did not request this and do not need it. If the Sheriff really wanted to help, he would be here following APD’s lead, not in DC for a photo-op with Trump. We will use every legal tool at our disposal to protect our residents and keep our community safe.” – City Attorney Esteban Aguilar, Jr.