News

The External Force Investigation Team's (EFIT 1's) Ninth and Final Quarterly Report and EFIT 2's Sixth Quarterly Report have been released. These reports offer valuable insights into the Albuquerque Police Department's (APD) ongoing efforts to address concerns related to external force, emphasizing transparency and positive change.

In a significant step towards police reform, the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) has regained control of investigating most use-of-force incidents. This milestone, marking the end of federal oversight in this area, comes after years of collaboration and progress under the Court-Approved Settlement Agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

The independent monitor, James Ginger, praised the city's overall compliance at 94% but expressed concerns about top-level mishandling of fatal police shootings.

The Albuquerque Police Department (APD) has achieved a major milestone in its reform efforts. The city has filed a motion to terminate certain portions of the consent decree that has been in place since 2015. The motion was filed in recognition of APD’s sustained compliance with significant portions of the decree. This represents the second major milestone for APD this year.

As of this report, and cumulatively since EFIT went live in July 2021, 50 out of the 991 (5.04%) UOF investigations closed by EFIT/Internal Affairs Force Division (“IAFD”) were found not within the Albuquerque Police Department (“APD”) use of force (“UOF”) policies (this is a 1.39 decrease from what was reported in the previous quarterly report).

The tide began to turn after departmental and leadership changes at APD, according to the monitor’s report, along with the involvement of an external group called the External Force Investigation Team, or EFIT, brought in to clear a case backlog and train IAFD investigators on how to conduct quality and timely investigations.

On June 6, 2023, Darryl Neier (EFIT Administrator) and William Hurlock (Deputy Administrator) presented the External Force Investigative Team 7th Quarterly Report (Doc. 995) in an all-day hearing before the Honorable United States District Judge James Browning, District of New Mexico.

The Federal Monitor has issued his 17th report and APD is in 92% operational compliance. He states in the report that “The project with EFIT has been very successful, influencing the quality and timeliness of use of force investigations at APD”.