APD scores a 94 percent on report card

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) - If you had to give the Albuquerque Police Department a letter grade what would it be?

Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Shultz gave his department a grade Tuesday, and he did not go the safe route with a B, instead he issued APD an A.

He says APD scores a 94 percent. He came up with the grade after comparing his department to two other cities where the Department of Justice has stepped in to clean things up.

In the wake of 25 police shootings in the past 32 months, a string of costly lawsuits, officers caught on tape roughing up suspects and officers arrested for high-profile crimes, there's been a call for the feds to crack down on APD.

Tuesday the chief launched his own preemptive attack.

He says he compared APD to New Orleans Police where the DOJ stepped in after five officers were convicted or pled guilty to shooting unarmed suspects and to Seattle where the DOJ is investigating claims of racial discrimination and use of excessive force.
 
If departments compare police shootings, though, Seattle PD only averages a couple police shootings a year, but Chief Schultz says according to Tuesday's report, Albuquerque exceeds the Department of Justice standards of transparency, training and following police procedures almost perfectly.

"If we learn from the times that we didn't do things right, that's a win," Chief Schultz said. "That's where I give us credit for not sitting back and being aggressive and learning from our mistakes."

Chief Schultz also pointed to the new lapel cameras as more evidence that his department wants to be transparent.

No word on when the DOJ will announce if it's going to order APD to make changes.

Chief Schultz says he's implemented dozens of new procedures since 2010 and they are part of the reason he gave such his department such a good grade. The chief has also promised to improve the screening of people who get hired to be officers.