CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE
CITY COUNCIL
INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM
TO: All Councilors
FROM: Louie Sanchez, City Councilor, District 1
SUBJECT: title
Declaration of No Confidence in Police Chief Harold Medina
body
DATE: February 16, 2024
WHEREAS, Harold Medina is the Chief of the Albuquerque Police Department ("APD"); and
WHEREAS, when Medina was appointed to his position, it was due to the abrupt departure of the previous Chief; and
WHEREAS, effective leadership of the Albuquerque Police Department is critical to the safety and wellbeing of the residents of the City of Albuquerque; and
WHEREAS, a federal investigation into multiple APD officers has resulted in the dismissal of more than 150 active DWI cases; and
WHEREAS, this investigation appears to show unchecked corruption within the Department; and
WHEREAS, these allegations of widespread corrupt actions by APD officers undermine the confidence of the community in the entire department; and
WHEREAS, the profound lack of leadership, which allowed such corrupt activities to transpire, unfairly tarnishes the reputation of upstanding officers, who through no fault of their own are associated with this terrible behavior; and
WHEREAS, Medina's mismanagement of the Albuquerque Police Department is evidenced by numerous tragedies and scandals, such as:
a. An academy class where seasoned instructors were moved because the son of a deputy chief attending the academy faced termination for untruthfulness;
b. APD's Gang Unit was all but dissolved along with critical units such as the Narcotics and Vice units;
c. Record numbers of officers have resigned or retired, leaving the Department dangerously shorthanded;
d. Increased officer terminations;
e. Increased officer-involved shootings at the highest number in decades, if not in APD's history;
f. Increased response times for 911 calls with some callers holding for hours while hundreds more calls sit unanswered; and
g. The highest nu...
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