ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – In a race to hire more officers, KRQE News 13 has learned the Albuquerque Police Department does not have enough patrol cars for all of them.
The union said if the goal is to have more police presence out on the streets, the city has to live up to the promise it made to these officers when they joined the academy.
Mayor Tim Keller made it known on the campaign trail that his goal was to increase the number of officers on the streets.
He’s done that.
“We’ve got a positive number for the first time than we have in a decade,” President of the Police Union, Shaun Willoughby, said. “The mayor deserves a pat on the back for that one.”
Right now, APD is sitting at nearly 950 officers.
“We do have to deal with realities related to that, such as training and outfitting these officers,” APD spokesperson, Gilbert Gallegos said.
One of the perks they’re promised? A take-home unit that after it’s fully equipped costs around $50,000 each. But there’s a problem: there are not enough patrol cars for those officers.
Albuquerque Police Officers’ Association