ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - The number of policies violated at the Albuquerque Police Department skyrocketed 275%, and suspension jumped more than 350%.
KOAT-TV reports documents on police misconduct showed the number of policy violations increased from 190 to 716 over a year. The number of violations requiring a suspension spiked from 52 to 237.
The station compared data from July 2018 to June 2019 to information from July 2019 to June 2020.
Albuquerque police are required under their own policies to report on police misconduct every four months, but nothing had been published since last year until the station asked for the reports. The department says the lack of reports was an oversight.
KOAT-TV also found that five times more police employees were fired compared to the previous reporting year.
Newly-named interim police chief Harold Medina says the Albuquerque Police Department is now holding officers accountable when they need to be held accountable.
But Albuquerque Police Officers’ Association president Shaun Willoughby says officers are being punished for things like not putting away lapel cameras properly to wearing sunglasses while speaking to the public.
Albuquerque police are under court-ordered reforms following a U.S. Justice Department investigation into excessive force.
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