As stated by the ACLU in their article, Care Over Confrontation: Community Safety Beyond Policing (https://www.aclu-nm.org/en/news/care-over-confrontation-community-safety-beyond-policing)
“In 2014, the United States Department of Justice found that APD had been engaged in a pattern or practice of excessive and unconstitutional force, resulting in a suite of court-mandated reforms laid out in what is known as the Court Approved Settlement Agreement (CASA). APD has struggled to comply with the CASA for nearly a decade, often resisting and undermining the reforms they were required to enact. APD and the City of Albuquerque have made significant advances toward full compliance in recent years, but serious issues persist. APD has adopted some of the most progressive use-of-force policies in the state, and overall uses of force are down—something we can all be grateful for and that law enforcement agencies throughout the state can learn from. However, in 2022, APD officers killed more of our neighbors than they did even before the adoption of the CASA, a trend that thankfully seems not to have carried over into 2023. Meaningful civilian oversight remains elusive. It’s troubling that the most recent report by the Independent Monitor on compliance with the CASA identified “grave and substantial malfeasance” in the way the APD chain of command investigated the killing of Jesus Crosby, who was killed while experiencing a mental health crisis and armed with nothing more dangerous than a pair of nail clippers. If APD, or any police department in this state, is going to truly reform, a profound culture change needs to take place within the institution of policing.”
