This article was originally published by Source NM. By Patrick Lohmann A federal judge in Albuquerque on Monday ordered the immediate release of an Iranian man held at an Estancia immigration lockup for the last six months, agreeing with his lawyers that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency was not acting quickly enough to deport […]
Category: Courts, Justice & Safety
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety
Crime down, trust low: Medina exits APD after rocky 5 years
Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina will retire Dec. 31, ending a five-year run defined by controversy. Medina announced his decision on Wednesday and told APD commanders during his final staff meeting on Tuesday, according to a city press release. His tenure included a crash that seriously injured a civilian, a City Desk investigation that found […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety
National Guard quietly “winding down” APD aid this week
Six months after National Guard troops began assisting the Albuquerque Police Department in an unprecedented move, the city confirmed Tuesday the program is winding down this week — though officials never publicly announced the conclusion of the more than $2 million effort. Asked by City Desk, APD spokesman Gilbert Gallegos confirmed in an email late […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety
Auto thieves steal DA’s Office car left warming with keys in
Earlier this week, Mayor Tim Keller and the Albuquerque Police Department announced that Albuquerque was on tack to see a sizable reduction in auto thefts this year, but that doesn’t mean thieves aren’t still targeting cars. Case in point: A vehicle belonging to the local District Attorney’s Office was stolen earlier this week when an […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety
Firefighters rescue one after sudden home explosion in NE Heights
Albuquerque firefighters are searching for the cause of an overnight explosion that blew out the side of a residential home in the Los Altos neighborhood near Eubank and Lomas NE. According to details from the Albuquerque Fire Rescue Department, an explosion was reported at 10:33 p.m. Firefighters found one home seriously damaged and another nearby. […]
Posted inLocal Gov.
What happened to ABQ’s transit security dashboard?
Albuquerque residents looking for ABQ RIDE real-time transit security data now find only a broken link where the city’s Metro Security dashboard used to be. The dashboard previously showed security call data that City Desk used to report on transit safety trends. Officials said the agency isn’t cutting transparency. Instead, it’s preparing a full data […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety
Pig leads APD on wild foot chase along I-40
Albuquerque Police officers found themselves on a wild foot chase Tuesday. “Yesterday, APD officers responded to a call unlike any other… a suspect on the run… with four legs, a snout, and a surprisingly good set of wheels,” police said in a Facebook post. “Yes, folks, a wild pig decided to take a joy run […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety
What’s behind ABQ’s declining homicide numbers?
Albuquerque has investigated 59 homicides this year through Nov. 11 — a 32% plunge from the same period last year and the city’s third straight year of declining homicides. City officials touted the decline Nov. 10 at a press conference where Mayor Tim Keller and Police Chief Harold Medina released third-quarter crime statistics showing decreases […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety
APD officer dies by suicide after domestic violence investigation in Cedar Crest
A sworn Albuquerque Police Department officer died in custody early Wednesday after Bernalillo County sheriff’s deputies discovered him with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound while executing an arrest warrant on domestic violence charges, authorities said. The incident began Wednesday morning when a woman and her juvenile child fled to an East Mountains school to report […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety
NM open government group sues Department of Public Safety for public records delays, denials
By Patrick Lohmann, Source NM — The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government announced Tuesday it is suing the state Department of Public Safety for what it calls a “pattern and practice” of delaying or denying news organizations’ access to public records. This story is republished from Source NM, a part of States Newsroom, the […]