Albuquerque Police Department

The Albuquerque Police Department (APD) is the municipal law enforcement agency of Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is the largest police force in the state, with approximately 1,000 sworn officers in 2022.

In addition to serving as the primary police force of Albuquerque, APD officers are sworn in as special deputy sheriffs by the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office, which grants jurisdiction over Bernalillo County.

APD has a history of police brutality and misconduct, and between 2010 and 2016 reportedly had the highest rate of police-involved fatal shootings in the United States. Since 2014, an ongoing consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice has resulted in significant but incomplete progress in training and the reduction excessive use of force.

Starting in 1881, the unincorporated town of Albuquerque was patrolled by a succession of marshals, aided by volunteer watchmen. The city's first police chief, J.R. Galusha, was appointed in 1916.

The Albuquerque Police Department underwent significant changes under Chief Paul Shaver (1948–1971) who remains the city's longest-serving police chief. During his tenure, Albuquerque's population more than doubled from 96,000 to 250,000 residents, resulting in Albuquerque Police Department growing from 30 police officers to 380. Chief Shaver administration saw the establishment of a permanent police academy and range, and the creation of the Records Unit and Juvenile Division; police communications, patrol strategies, and investigative procedures were likewise professionalized and modernized.

After Shaver's retirement, the city was rocked by rioting following the arrest of several students by police for public intoxication. The ensuing three-day melee was brought under control only after the deployment of the New Mexico National Guard. Thirteen civilians were shot during the disorder, some by police officers and some by private citizens repelling the sporadic looting that accompanied the unrest.

In 1973, the Chicano Police Officers' Association of Albuquerque and twelve Albuquerque police officers led by Refugio Beserra sued the city in federal court, alleging that Hispanic-surnamed applicants were discriminated against in hiring and promotion practices of the police department. The lawsuit survived adverse testimony and several motions to dismiss and even went up to the Supreme Court of the United States before being scheduled for trial in March 1978. On May 15, 1978, the parties agreed to a stipulated judgment that required the city to pay $8,000 to Beserra and $8,000 to the Chicano Police Officers' Association, meet an affirmative action goal of 34% Hispanic-surnamed people in the police department by July 1, 1981, and complete an affirmative action internal audit of the police department to verifiably validate the testing procedures for promotion. APD was also to assign a Chicano police officer to the police academy; and expand department language and cultural awareness training. After the settlement was approved, the lawyers for the Chicano Police Officers' Association requested more money from the city for attorney's fees, and over the dissent of Chief Judge Seth, the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court ordered them to be paid. Despite the settlement, complaints continued even into the 1990s. However, the 34% target had been exceeded by 1993 with a 39.4% Hispanic-surnamed force.

In 1976, Albuquerque police coordinated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Operation Fiesta. The year-long series of undercover investigations and stings, funded by the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, targeted the fencing operations then prolific in the Albuquerque area, resulting in 79 arrests.