ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The city of Albuquerque has agreed to let both a court and an independent monitor oversee reform of its troubled police department, officials said Thursday.
The Department of Justice and Mayor Richard Berry signed off on a framework of principles for addressing the eight problem areas Justice officials identified in a scathing report on police practices earlier this year.
Attorney General Eric Holder said the agreement “marks an important step forward in addressing the unreasonable use of deadly force uncovered in our investigation into the Albuquerque Police Department.”
Among the findings released in April: officers too frequently used deadly force on people who posed a minimal threat and used a higher level of force too often on those with mental illness.
Albuquerque police have shot 41 people since 2010, 27 of them fatally.