Mayor Berry Looks To Improve Police Oversight

Marisa Demarco
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1 min read
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Criticism of Albuquerque’s embattled police department never stopped with the officers and chief. Activists have long questioned the work of the Police Oversight Commission, an all-volunteer panel that oversees investigation of citizen complaints, among other things.

A report issued by
MGT of America at the City Council’s request takes issue with the Police Oversight Commission’s “failure to lead.” It cites bad training and a lack of participation.

The report suggested the commission should have disciplinary power. But Mayor Richard Berry disagrees. “To require a politically appointed volunteer citizen committee to direct officer discipline would be unfair to the commission,” he says in a news release today.

Berry instead made 17 recommendations for the City Council to consider. Among them:

• A national search for the next independent review officer, (who reviews citizen complaints)

• Authority for city administration or the Council to remove a commissioner for not attending meetings or undergoing training

• Authority for the mayor to nominate a volunteer if the Council doesn’t

• A better commission website

• Software for tracking trends in citizen complaints

• $15,000 a year for commissioners to attend conferences and training

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