INTER-OFFICE MEMORANDUM March 26, 2026
TO: Klarissa J. Pe?a, President, City Council
FROM: Timothy M. Keller, Mayor
SUBJECT:
title
Appointment of Interim Chief of Police Cecily A. Barker to the position of Chief of Police of the Albuquerque Police Department
body
Pursuant to Section 4(d) of Article 5 of the City Charter, I am submitting for Council's advice and consent the appointment of Interim Chief of Police Cecily A. Barker for the position of Chief of Police for the Albuquerque Police Department.
Cecily Barker is a veteran law enforcement executive with over two decades of dedicated service to the Albuquerque community. She is respected by the department and the community for her strategic, data-driven approach to public safety as well as her compassion towards her officers, staff, and the many victims and their advocates who she has encountered throughout her career.
Recently appointed as Interim Chief of Police for the Albuquerque Police Department, she guiding the department of approximately 900 sworn officers and 400 professional staff, with a $272 million budget through a critical leadership transition for the Albuquerque Police Department.
Under her leadership as Deputy Chief of both the Investigative Bureau and the Field Service Bureau, the department has strengthened accountability, enhanced operational readiness, and achieved measurable reductions in crime-including a significant decrease in homicides and a clearance rate exceeding 90% year-to-date. She is deeply committed to aligning policing strategies with community priorities, improving both public safety outcomes and public trust.
Throughout her career, Barker has held key leadership roles across the department, including Deputy Chief of Field Services and Deputy Chief of the Investigative Bureau. In these roles, she led sweeping operational improvements, revitalized the department's Duke City Stats crime strategy program, and implemented the Detective Academy to elevate inv...
Click here for full text