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DPA reports 144 complaints in third quarter; sustained rate about 9%
Summary
Deputy Director Eric Baltazar told the commission DPA received 144 complaints in the third quarter, closed 131 and sustained 12 (about a 9% sustain rate). He outlined staffing levels (14 investigators, average caseload 29), pending caseloads and ongoing policy work on use-of-force and crisis intervention.
Deputy Director Eric Baltazar presented the Department of Police Accountability's third-quarter report during the May 3 Police Commission meeting. He said DPA received 144 complaints in the period, closed 131 and sustained 12 cases—roughly a 9 percent sustained rate. Baltazar pointed commissioners to detailed outcomes listed in the full report.
Baltazar described staffing and caseloads: DPA had 14 permanent line investigators during the quarter, of whom 12 carried full caseloads; the average caseload was 29 investigations per investigator and the office had about 418 pending cases. He said one investigator had a reduced caseload while assigned to an officer-involved shooting investigation and another was newly hired.
On policy and training, Baltazar said Attorney Samra Merian focused on use-of-force reforms, crisis intervention team policy, a proposed domestic violence department bulletin and served as a subject-matter expert in confer processes with the Police Officers Association and human-resources staff. DPA staff attended the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement conference and continued internal training on consensual encounters, detention, searches and arrests.
Commissioners asked follow-up questions about national training attendance; Baltazar said Joyce Sicks and several attorneys and investigators attended the Albuquerque conference.
