APD Forward Condemns City's Attempt to Undermine the Independent Monitor

APD Forward Condemns City’s Attempt to Undermine the Independent Monitor

Judge Brack blocks City of Albuquerque and APD Police Union’s attempt to force alterations in monitor’s special report

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

September 16, 2016

CONTACT: Micah McCoy, (505) 266-5915 x1003 or [email protected]

ALBUQUERQUE, NM—An order filed yesterday by Judge Brack, the judge overseeing the police reform agreement between the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Albuquerque Police Department (APD)/City of Albuquerque, denied a request by the City of Albuquerque and the APD police union to censor information contained in a special report released today by independent federal monitor Dr. James Ginger. The community advocacy group APD Forward condemns this attempt by the city and the police union to block the federal monitor from releasing information about use of force incidents to the public.

“The City and the police officers' union need to stop trying to prevent the monitoring team from doing its job,” said APD Forward spokesperson Cathy Ansheles, executive director of the New Mexico Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Association. “APD has a long history of blocking scrutiny and transparency over its internal processes. Hopefully, this is a wake-up call. If the reform process is going to be successful, APD needs to cultivate a culture of openness and transparency.”

Earlier this month, the City of Albuquerque and the Albuquerque Police Officers’ Association attempted to force alterations in the independent monitor’s special report. The report, which was released in its full unadulterated form today, investigates multiple incidents of use of force by Albuquerque Police Department officers in 2015.

As Judge Brack notes in the order filed on September 15, the settlement agreement between the City and the Department of Justice was created to “promote more effective law enforcement and … strengthen public confidence in APD” by “increasing transparency and accountability on use of force.” Brack concludes by saying that “To allow the City to red-line the Monitor’s reports, pre-publication, would undermine the Monitor’s independence and introduce a precedent the Court is unwilling to set.”

As with every report from the Independent Monitor, APD Forward will release a summary and analysis of the special report following a thorough review.