City councilor files complaint to investigate alleged misconduct by police chief

ALBUQUERQUE, NM — An Albuquerque city councilman has filed a complaint against the police chief, accusing him of possible misconduct.

City Councilman Louie Sanchez wants the New Mexico Department of Public Safety and the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy to investigate a crash involving APD Chief Harold Medina and an innocent driver. It happened in February, leaving that driver injured and his vintage Ford Mustang destroyed.

Sanchez claims the chief intentionally did not turn on his body camera while on the scene. He claims it violates a public safety accountability bill that requires officers to wear body cameras and record while interacting with the community. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed this bill into law in 2020.

In a statement, Councilor Sanchez said: “The chief should hold himself to a higher standard than his rank and not lower. We’re at a crossroads where officer morale is at an all-time low and public confidence could be even lower,” adding that, “it was the chief’s actions that prompted the U.S. Department of Justice’s oversight in the first place.”