ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - The mayor of New Mexico’s largest city said Friday he’s joining other Democrat mayors who are vowing to take action on police reform.
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller announced that he signed the Obama Foundation-sponsored My Brother’s Keeper pledge and that doing so was more than just a symbol for the city.
“This is a continuation of the conversation about police reform and the work of rebuilding the trust between APD and the community,” Keller said in a statement. “It’s work we’ve been engaged in for two years, but we have a long, long road to go, and we are facing those challenges head on.”
The Albuquerque Police Department began implementing reforms years ago under a prior administration as part of a consent decree with the U.S. Justice Department. Federal authorities in 2014 issued a scathing report in response to a series of deadly police shootings in the city that pointed to patterns of excessive force, constitutional violations and a lack of training and oversight of its officers.
Calls for reform - and politicians’ vows to make changes - are making headlines again following the May 25 death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis. Floyd’s death ignited protests around the world, with some of the early demonstrations being followed by violence, arson and vandalism.
In downtown Albuquerque, most of the businesses along historic Route 66 remained boarded up with plywood Friday after windows were smashed and small fires were set nearly two weeks ago. The mayor had blamed a group of “agitators” for the damage and said the city welcomed peaceful protests.
As part of the pledge, the city must review police use of force policies, which Albuquerque already does. The mayor’s office said new policies are being reviewed now and will soon be available for public comment.
The city also must engage the community as part of the process. The mayor’s office said open meetings were held with the Civilian Police Oversight Agency and that city officials met with several community groups while crafting the proposed policies.
Albuquerque police are expected to present the proposed changes at an upcoming meeting.
The U.S. Justice Department and an independent monitor also will review the policies.
The department’s policies already restrict the use of force beyond the constitutionally minimum standard defined by the courts. Albuquerque officers also are required to deescalate and to use the minimum amount of force that is “reasonable, necessary and proportional.”
Civil rights groups and others have said that any reforms will have to be coupled with an accountability system in which incidents of force are investigated and officers are disciplined for any violations.
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