Allegations of unchecked corruption, lack of leadership, lack of communication and a call for accountability dominated the Albuquerque City Council meeting Monday.

Councilors had sharp words for leaders of the Police Department and Mayor Tim Keller after recent FBI raids on the homes of police officers as part of a federal investigation.

The investigation led to the suspensions of a handful of officers and more than 150 DWI cases being dropped by the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office.

No official information has been publicly released and no one has yet been charged but the allegations appear to center around reports of DWI unit officers colluding with defense attorneys in order to get cases dismissed.

During a question-and-answer period early in the meeting, Councilor Dan Champine said he was concerned by the lack of communication to the council or the public from the department or from Keller’s administration regarding the development.

City Chief Administrative Officer Dr. Samantha Sengel said that leadership has declined to provide much detail about the matter because it’s an ongoing federal investigation.

“This investigation is bigger than APD,” Sengel said. “It goes back more than a decade.”

Champine, a retired APD detective, countered that the administration and the department should still be communicating to citizens to assure them that the matter is being handled correctly. He said he’s frustrated when constituents ask him about the situation and he has to tell them he knows only what has been in published reports.

He said he’s also disappointed that no one made a phone call or other outreach to show that the department is aware of the issue.

“You guys dropped the ball on this one,” Champine said. “To have the administration not reaffirm that they are standing behind those officers that do their jobs, is bad.”

About 10 minutes into the meeting, Mayor Tim Keller sent a tweet addressing the issue. “While we can’t discuss the details of the investigation into a group of officers, we take these allegations very seriously,” his statement reads. “Our administration will hold all bad actors accountable, and @ABQPOLICE will continue to work closely with the FBI on the investigation,” he said. 

On Tuesday, Keller released a statement saying the investigation “involves a handful of long-time officers at APD, going back a decade.”

“If true, what these individuals did is a disgrace to the badge, and erodes faith in law enforcement,” Keller said. “APD leadership fully supports this investigation and continues to work with our partners to serve justice. Any individuals who engaged in this conduct will never work for the city again, and should be held accountable to (the) full extent of the law. The department’s willingness to drive accountability, especially on its own, reflects how far we have come.”

Sengel: ‘We support the officers’

The mayor released a more extensive statement early this afternoon.

Sengel said that the investigation involves only a handful of officers and that their alleged actions could color the community’s perception of the APD in a troubling way.

She said that Police Chief Harold Medina has been transparent when he’s able to and that the administration anticipates being able to provide more information later.

“It is important to note that we absolutely support the officers that do show up to do their jobs,” Sengel said.

‘Leadership is the issue’

City Councilor Louie Sanchez, a retired APD lieutenant, said he’s concerned about what’s going on in the department.

“There’s no doubt about it that leadership is 100 percent the issue,” Sanchez said. “Leadership of the mayor and of the Police Department.”

He cited several other incidents in recent history, including a police cadet killed by her husband in a murder-suicide and the reassignment of several training officers at the police academy. Sanchez also said that 328 homicides have occurred in Albuquerque during Keller’s term. 

Sanchez said that a lack of adequate training in the department has led to officers now facing criminal charges related to alleged assaults.

“Nobody goes into the Police Department looking to commit a crime against other people,” he said. “Now, we’re dealing with something else. We’re dealing with a public corruption issue.”

Sanchez said that the resulting dismissals of the DWI cases, including four felony cases, threatens the safety of the community.

“That means we are letting these defendants — these drunk drivers — back out on the streets, free to do it again,” he said. “And to expose our families to them again.”

He said that other leadership failures have resulted in a SWAT team walking off, greatly reduced narcotics, gang and vice units and record numbers of officers retiring or taking jobs with other agencies.

The decline in staffing, Sanchez said, has resulted in some officers having to work two shifts per 24-hour period. 

In response to a later question, Deputy Chief Cecily Barker said that the APD is currently assigning 12-hour shifts, with an officer ending the a two-week period with a four-hour shift. She said that schedule was chosen by a vote of officers.

Sanchez said that the Police Department is also experiencing a shortage of civilian staff, meaning longer times before 911 and non-emergency calls are answered. He said he waited 21 hours to get a response to a report he made after his license plate was stolen.

“The mayor dropped the ball,” Sanchez said. “The police chief he hired dropped the ball.”

Bassan: ‘There should have been a press conference.’

Councilor Brook Bassan said that news of the raids comes as a huge blow to all of Albuquerque, none more than the honest, hardworking officers who make up the majority of the police force.

“In a world of press conferences and press releases, it is a disappointment to see that one has not occurred to date announcing that the administration is taking this seriously,” Bassan said.

When prompted by Council President Lewis, Barker said that the Police Department is taking the investigation very seriously and providing the FBI with all the information it needs.

“It is very disheartening to the officers who are working hard every day,” she said. “And we will do everything we can to cooperate with the investigation.”

Lewis said it is appropriate for the council to express “grave concern” about the allegations at the center of the FBI probe, and that the investigation appears to show “unchecked corruption.”

He said the allegations undermine public confidence in APD and create an appearance of a profound lack of leadership within the department.