APD Chief Medina: Department Is ‘Not Going Back’

New Mexico in Focus (A Production of NMPBS)

When Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller appointed Harold Medina as APD chief in 2020, the department was still not fully in charge of itself, having blown past the deadline to end a court-approved settlement agreement the city signed with the U.S. Department of Justice six years prior. DOJ investigators had identified a deeply embedded culture at APD that led to the unconstitutional use of excessive force — and a leadership structure that enabled it. Medina was at the helm of APD when U.S. District Judge James Browning signed an order ending the consent decree on May 12. NMiF Host Nash Jones recently sat down with Medina to discuss how APD has changed through this 11-year reform project — and ask why federal oversight of his department has come to an end now.

Podcast Host: Lou DiVizio

Correspondent: Nash Jones

Guest: Harold Medina, Chief, Albuquerque Police Department