City of Albuquerque
Civilian Police Oversight Agency
Timothy M. Keller Diane McDermott
Mayor Executive Director
Interoffice Memorandum 3/31/26
To: Klarissa Peña, City Council President
From: Diane McDermott, Executive Director
Subject:
title
CPOA C/S R-25-153 FY26 One Year Objectives Update
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Per R-25-153, please accept the response information for the two CPOA Objectives:
OBJECTIVE 13. To meet the goal that the public is safe and secure, CPOA shall maintain a clear investigation backlog to ensure timely and effective oversight of law enforcement activities within the community. (CPOA)
As of March 30, 2026, 22 cases are over 120 days and are subject to investigation. This marks a decrease from the previous report. The majority of the remaining cases are from an investigator who has left the Agency and had a larger caseload that has been redistributed. We have focused heavily on prioritizing cases with sustained findings to avoid missing potential disciplinary opportunities under the Collective Bargaining Agreements. The cases remaining have been triaged. We have a relatively new investigative staff, with the average tenure in the position at 13-14 months across the 8 investigators. We are still short two investigators with recent departures.
Additionally, 112 cases are pending final review. These cases have been triaged and lack sustained findings. Resources have been continually allocated to handle the older cases within manageable limits. However, the percentage of sustains from 1/1/23 to 12/31/24 was 21%, whereas from 1/1/25 to 3/30/26, it increased to 49%, leading the review focus to shift toward the sustain category and delaying reviews of exonerated and unfounded cases. We use a contract vendor with adequate skills to complete cases as needed, but their capacity is limited. The delayed reviews do not involve the same cases previously reported; nonetheless, timelines continue to progress, and new cases continue to come in, requiring review. As previously mentioned, prioritizing current investigations is crucial to maintaining the potential for disciplinary action.
OBJECTIVE 14. To meet the goal that the public is safe and secure, implement measures to reduce the CPOA vacancy rate to 15% or lower by the conclusion of FY/26, thereby mitigating the risk of future backlogs and ensuring the efficient and effective functioning of its oversight responsibilities. (CPOA)
The Objective has been met by the third quarter of FY/26. We have two recent investigator vacancies and one administrative assistant. We are currently interviewing the administrative assistant candidates and have received applications for the investigator positions this week.
A key priority is hiring qualified candidates who will enhance efficiency, support the timely resolution of older investigations, and uphold investigative quality standards. The Agency is optimistic about filling all our positions by the end of fiscal year 2026.
APPROVED: ____Diane McDermott____________________________
DIANE MCDERMOTT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
cc: Isaac Padilla, Director, Council Services