The Justice Department and the City of Albuquerque have filed a joint motion seeking U.S. District Court approval to terminate the federal consent decree covering the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) since 2015.
The joint motion follows a long record of findings that APD has maintained full compliance with the decree.
“This consent decree has run its course successfully,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We are proud to stand by the men and women of the Albuquerque Police Department and ask the court to terminate this consent decree. Albuquerque Police operates constitutionally. It is now appropriate to end federal oversight and return full control of local law enforcement to the city.”
“The Albuquerque Police Department has made meaningful progress toward constitutional policing and a culture of accountability,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison for the District of New Mexico.
Ellison added, “This progress builds on nearly a decade of hard work and partnership with the community, laying a strong foundation for the future and opening the door to a new chapter.
“This chapter demands leadership that listens, a community that stays engaged, and a department committed to doing what is right, even when it is difficult, in service of a safer, more just Albuquerque for all.”
