City, DOJ file motion to terminate portion of APD settlement agreement

ALBUQUERQUE – The City of Albuquerque and the U.S. Department of Justice filed a joint motion in federal court today to terminate several portions of the Court Approved Settlement Agreement based on sustained operational compliance.

The court suspended monitoring for these sections of the consent decree last year, and APD proved it could continue to meet the high standards of reform on its own, without federal oversight. If the judge approves the motion, nearly a quarter of the agreement will be considered complete and no longer part of the litigation between the court and the city.

“This should put to rest concerns about APD’s ability to self-monitor and continue the reform process past federal oversight,” Mayor Tim Keller said. “APD is proving the department is ready to institutionalize constitutional policing and ongoing reform on its own. Going forward we need to push past the piecemeal approval process and focus on the future beyond the CASA.”

U.S. District Judge James O. Browning approved an agreement last year between the city and the DOJ that suspended monitoring for these provisions of the settlement agreement. Today’s motion acknowledges APD’s consistent progress and moves to terminate the same provisions.

“The fact is we have now been in compliance with these sections for years, and I’m glad to see them finally taken out of the consent decree,” APD Chief Harold Medina said. “It shouldn’t take years to acknowledge we are in compliance with the rest of the agreement. We are committed to reform and we have shown we can self-monitor.”

If the judge approves of today’s motion, the following sections of the settlement agreement will be terminated:

• Multi-Agency Task Force
• Specialized Units, including Specialized Tactical Units and Specialized Investigative Units
• Behavioral health Training
• Field Training Evaluation Program
• Public Information on Civilian Complaints
• Staffing
• Recruitment, Hiring, Performance Evaluations and Promotions
• Officer Assistance and Support