Past audit sank Abq. cop grant request

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - If at first you don't succeed, Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez plans to apply, apply again after the feds tossed out the city's request for stimulus money to hire 25 new police officers.

On Wednesday the U. S. Justice Department named police agencies around the country who will share in $1 billion in economic-stimulus funds tagged to put more cops on the street.

Albuquerque's request for $9 million not only didn't make the cut but was disqualified because of problems with a past grant, according to Chávez.

After the federal government gave Albuquerque $4 million for more police officers nine years ago, an audit found the city only hired a fraction of the officers it promised, the mayor said. It also failed to train many of the new officers in community-based policing, he added.

The mayor said that disqualified Albuquerque from getting stimulus grants this go-round under the Community Oriented Policing Services program.

“We're working to get us 'undisqualified' so that we can perhaps avail ourselves to this particular allotment,” Chávez told KRQE News 13. “We want to participate in the future funding of the COPS program because it's a great program.”

Chavez said the city fixed the problem and is appealing the rejection

There also is more money out there for policing, according to former Gov. Toney Anaya who oversees federal stimulus spending in New Mexico.

“We knew that there would be a lot of the requests that were being applied for would not be met,” Anaya said. “We'll have some more announcements coming up fairly soon.

"There'll be more police officers, more law enforcement money flowing.”

The mayor also is looking at another way to get the money following the lead of New York City. The Justice Department also rejected New York City's application for 100 new officers, but on Thursday the Big Apple learned it will get those cops through a grant from the Homeland Security Department headed by former Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano.

“Homeland Security is just about the only other option for funding police officers,” Chávez said. "We've talks coming up with Secretary Napolitano. She's the Homeland Security secretary, also an Albuquerque kid, to talk about that specifically.”

The mayor maintained the city will add 100 officers to the force in the next 18 months, but if the stimulus dollars don't come through, he'll make cuts in other departments to fund the extra cops.

Albuquerque is in good company in losing out in the competition for COPS grants. Phoenix, Seattle and Pittsburgh are among the large American cities rejected for police money.