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Council clarifies CPOA authority to investigate non‑sworn personnel, amid public concerns about APD accountability
Summary
The Albuquerque City Council approved an amendment to the police oversight ordinance clarifying that the Civilian Police Oversight Agency may investigate certain non-sworn personnel (police service aids, transit safety officers and prisoner transport officers); sponsors said they worked with APD and CPOA on the language while public commenters urged broader accountability for other units.
The City Council approved a change to the police oversight ordinance that clarifies the Civilian Police Oversight Agency (CPOA) may investigate non‑sworn personnel who perform public-facing enforcement functions.
"This bill amends the police oversight ordinance to clarify that the CPOA may also investigate non‑sworn personnel who perform public‑facing enforcement functions," Councilor Brook Grout, one of the sponsors, said as she opened debate. She urged that the clarification bring parity in accountability for anyone "wearing a city uniform and performing a law enforcement job function."
Supporters said the measure was negotiated with CPOA, APD and relevant labor groups. The sponsor said the goal was to ensure that police-service aides, transit safety officers and prisoner-transport personnel are subject to the same investigative standards as sworn officers when conducting enforcement activities.
Several public speakers raised concerns that other divisions, including Metro Security or contractor personnel, should also be covered and pushed for clearer accountability mechanisms. "I would hope that this would include metro security," Janice Herrera (public commenter) said during the hearing when speaking to the ordinance text.
APD representatives told the council they had participated in drafting the language and that internal discipline structures remain in place for different classes of employees. At the dais, an APD official cautioned that expanding investigatory authority could require careful implementation to avoid duplicative processes and preserve matters subject to collective‑bargaining obligations.
Councilors ultimately voted in favor of the ordinance change; sponsors framed it as a step to strengthen oversight while preserving negotiation with APD about discipline structures for particular job classes.
