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Council questions National Guard role in support of APD after training and town-hall rollout
Summary
Councilors pressed APD about a National Guard deployment intended to supplement police service aids; APD said Guard members were trained for scene security, RTCC support and prisoner-transport assistance and will not be sworn officers.
The City Council spent substantial time on June 2 questioning Albuquerque Police Department and administration officials about the National Guard’s recent training and limited deployment to support APD operations.
APD Commander Viers told the council the Guard received training focused on scene preservation and basic support tasks comparable to police service aids (PSAs). "It was kind of a cut-down version" of PSA training, Viers said, and added the Guard’s duties will be limited to perimeter and scene security, assisting at the Real-Time Crime Center and helping at the prisoner-transport unit.
Why it matters: Councilors raised community concerns about civil liberties, uniforms and community engagement. Councilor Rogers and others criticized the administration’s community outreach, saying town-hall materials were not translated, the city did not provide adequate advance notice across districts and community engagement guidance (the city’s toolkit) was not used. Rogers also asked whether Guard members would carry handcuffs or be armed; APD said they would not be sworn officers, would not be issued handcuffs for detention and would be issued only OC spray as defensive equipment.
Operational details and oversight: Commander Viers said the Guard’s training included radio procedures, traffic control and scene preservation; APD conducted most of the training in Santa Fe with hands-on scenarios at the city’s reality-based training center. Viers said Guard members will be authorized to operate city PSA vehicles after receiving an operator permit and will have access to city radios for communications with dispatch. APD said the Guard will not replace sworn officers but will free sworn personnel for proactive policing by performing limited support tasks.
Community engagement and follow-up: Several councilors pressed the administration to improve community outreach, provide translations and offer district-level briefings. CAO Dr. Lisa Single and Chief Medina provided contact information for National Guard leadership to council offices and agreed to follow up; councilors asked for a district briefing so communities can ask questions directly.
Ending: Councilors asked for clearer written materials on Guard roles and uniforms, translation of town-hall content and better notice to districts. APD said it would provide further details about the number deployed, their assignments and the binational coordination of training.
