CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY THIRD COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. F/S R-19-199 ENACTMENT NO. _________________
SPONSORED BY: Brad Winter, Trudy E. Jones, Ken Sanchez
RESOLUTION
title
F/S Adjusting Fiscal Year 2020 General Fund Appropriations To Provide Funding For The Albuquerque Police Department Party Intervention Team (PIT) Program (Winter, Jones, Sanchez)
body
ADJUSTING FISCAL YEAR 2020 GENERAL FUND APPROPRIATIONS TO PROVIDE FUNDING FOR THE ALBUQUERQUE POLICE DEPARTMENT PARTY INTERVENTION TEAM (PIT) PROGRAM.
WHEREAS, one of the City of Albuquerque’s goals is to enhance local law enforcement efforts, thereby promoting public safety and welfare; and
WHEREAS, 1,544 New Mexicans died from alcohol-related causes in 2018, up six percent from 2017; and
WHEREAS, the New Mexico Department of Health reports that New Mexico has had the highest alcohol and drug-related death rate of any U.S. state in recent decades; and
WHEREAS, one of the most abused drugs in the United States is alcohol that many people start using at a very young age; and
WHEREAS, for every two firearm deaths in the United States, there are now three firearm deaths in New Mexico on average; and
WHEREAS, for this year up to this date, there have been 43 shootings in Albuquerque which have resulted in death; and
WHEREAS, for this year up to this date, there have been 20 shootings related to parties in Albuquerque; and
WHEREAS, the community is seeing an alarming amount of drug abuse, in addition to alcohol use, involving teenagers; and
WHEREAS, the community is seeing an alarming amount of gun-related offenses involving teenagers, with charges ranging from weapon possession violations to murder; and
WHEREAS, the City of Albuquerque recognizes that youth parties can occur at different locations, including homes, hotels/motels, and public areas; and
WHEREAS, action by City of Albuquerque could help our community reduce underage illegal consumption of alcohol and the use of illegal drugs at youth gatherings; and
WHEREAS, juveniles report that they are most likely to carry guns at parties or say they came in possession of a firearm at youth parties; and
WHEREAS, the City of Albuquerque is committed to identifying youthful offenders who need assistance and rehabilitative efforts that will reduce the likelihood of recidivism, rather than triggering a cycle of involvement in the criminal justice system or creating a school-to-prison pipeline; and
WHEREAS, the City of Albuquerque is committed to providing law enforcement support to combat underage drinking and drug use by reducing alcohol and drug-related crime, violence, injuries, and deaths; and
WHEREAS, the City of Albuquerque recognizes that adults should be held accountable for contributing to the delinquency of minors; and
WHEREAS, the City of Albuquerque acknowledges that firearms that are unlawfully possessed, and specifically including by youth at under-aged parties contribute to safety risks in the city, particularly for youth; and
WHEREAS, the Albuquerque Police Department’s Rapid Accountability Diversion (“RAD”) Program has the mission of allowing certain qualified, low-level, infrequent offenders, regardless of age, the opportunity to participate in rehabilitative programs prior to any involvement in the criminal court system; and
WHEREAS, the RAD Program will have a manager position that will be instrumental in facilitating the identified offenders into rehabilitative programs. Additionally, the program manager position will track and keep accountable the participants who enter the rehabilitative programs; and
WHEREAS, the Party Intervention Team will consist of teams of officers who respond to reported parties where there is potential for drug abuse, including alcohol; illegal possession of weapons; and criminal conduct by adults facilitating such behavior; and
WHEREAS, the Party Intervention Team will also consist of outreach education programs at local schools to educate students on the goals of the program and how best to utilize such initiative. The RAD Program manager will coordinate with APD Officers, the Department of Community and Family Services and the local schools concerning the outreach effort; and
WHEREAS, the Party Intervention Team will, in part, consist of a media campaign to educate community members on the goals of the program and how best to utilize such initiative; and
WHEREAS, the City of Albuquerque recently received a lump-sum distribution of New Mexico Gross Receipts Tax for catch-up payments from retailers who were misreporting location information to the New Mexico Tax and Revenue Department; and
WHEREAS, excess funding from the lump sum distributions is available in the General Fund to supplement grant funding for the Party Intervention Team and the RAD Program.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
SECTION 1. The Albuquerque Police Department shall consult with community partners, youth advocates and Albuquerque Public Schools to develop the Party Intervention Team (PIT) program. The program shall prioritize diversion programs, including the Rapid Accountability Diversion (RAD), for youth.
SECTION 21. That the following appropriations are hereby made from available fund balance to the programs as indicated in Fiscal Year 2020:
GENERAL FUND - 110
Police Department
Neighborhood Policing $2830,000
Of this amount, $150,000 is designated for officer overtime costs related to PIT program activities, $50,000 is designated for a marketing and education program for the PIT program, and $80,000 is designated for the RAD Program manager position.
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