New Mexico Police Achieve Compliance With Oversight Policies – Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press
The Albuquerque Police Department has implemented all the court-approved policies enforcing constitutional policing and preventing the use of excessive force.
The Albuquerque Journal reported Thursday that independent monitor James Ginger confirmed the department has achieved 100% primary compliance with the policies outlined in a settlement agreement with the Department of Justice.
The report covers February 2019 through July 2019.
Officials say it's the first time in a yearslong reform effort that the police department has attained complete compliance.
Ginger says the Department of Justice announced in 2014 that its investigation found Albuquerque police had a pattern of using excessive force against its citizens.
Ginger says the police have made strides toward reform including training officers on policies, rewriting its use-of-force policy and recreating a board to review internal investigations.
Taskforce Meeting On Native American Cases Draws Dozens – Associated Press
Members of a New Mexico taskforce established to address the deaths and disappearances of Native American women say they want to hear from victims and their family members in the coming year.
New Mexico officials convened the taskforce's first meeting Friday afternoon in Albuquerque. The committee includes representatives of New Mexico tribes, state officials and victim advocates.
More than 60 members of the public also attended the meeting.
A bill signed by the governor this year calls for the committee to determine the scope of the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women in New Mexico. Members also are expected to identify factors that might be hindering law enforcement investigations.
The taskforce has until November 2020 to report findings.
More than a half-dozen states have established similar committees or reports.
Taskforce For Native American Cases To Discuss Strategy – Associated Press
New Mexico officials plan to hold the first meeting of a task force established to address the deaths and disappearances of Native Americans in the state.
Lynn Trujillo, the state's Indian Affairs cabinet secretary, is convening the task force's meeting Friday as its designated chair.
A bill signed by the governor this year calls for the committee to determine the scope of the issue in New Mexico.
They also are expected to identify factors that might be hindering law enforcement investigations.
More than a half-dozen states have established similar committees.
The New Mexico task force has until November 2020 to report findings.
The group is expected to discuss strategy for the next year at the meeting Friday afternoon.
GOP Daughter Of Key Democrat To Run For State Senate - Santa Fe New Mexican, Associated Press
The daughter of Democratic New Mexico Senate president pro tem is running for a state Senate seat, as a Republican, and her mom isn't supporting her.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reportsformer state racing commissioner Susan Vescovo said this week she plans to challenge Democratic state Sen. Liz Stefanics of Cerrillos primarily over abortion rights.
Senate President Pro Tem and longtime Democrat Mary Kay Papen says she loves her daughter "dearly" but doesn't support her candidacy.
The Alto, New Mexico, Republican, says she believes she will be competitive in heavily Democratic areas such as Santa Fe because Catholics in the county are likely to agree with her anti-abortion views.
The district cover parts of Lincoln, Torrance, Valencia, Bernalillo, Santa Fe, and San Miguel counties.
Navajo Officer Remembered As Family Man, Devoted Colleague – Associated Press
The Navajo Nation is honoring the life of a police officer who died from a medical problem while on duty.
Friends, colleagues and tribal officials paid tribute to Sgt. Lamar Martin during a funeral on Friday in Rehoboth, New Mexico.
A press release from the Navajo Nation says his relatives described Martin as a great family man who loved his wife and children, enjoyed outdoor activities and liked reading books and comic books. His fellow officers recalled him as a mentor and leader who didn't hesitate to share the expertise he gained in 22 years with the Navajo Police Department.
Martin was a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and New Mexico National Guard. He's survived by his wife and five children.
Ballot Error Casts Doubt On College's Plan To Reopen Campus - Associated Press
Election officials are trying to figure out what to do about a ballot mix up that may have spoiled Northern New Mexico College's effort to reopen a campus in El Rito.
The Albuquerque Journal reports a property tax proposal that was supposed to be decided by voters didn't appear on the ballot in two precincts in Taos County as required. It appeared as planned in Rio Arriba and Santa Fe counties.
The proposal for a property tax increase to provide a recurring funding stream of about $2.4 million a year to pay for the operation, maintenance and capital improvements received 62% support in Rio Arriba and Santa Fe counties.
The Secretary of State's office said that "an administrative error made by a county clerk" led to the problem in Taos County.
People Of Color Make Gains In Mayoral Race Across The US – Associated Press
People of color made history across the U.S. by winning mayoral races and school board seats in places where their families were once ignored or prevented from voting.
From Arizona to Massachusetts, the gains highlight the ongoing demographic changes in the nation but also the growing political power of black, Latino and Native American voters ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
Ken Miyagishima, the son an internee at a World War II-era Japanese American internment camp, won is fourth term mayor in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He is now one of the longest-serving Asian Americans as head of a municipality in U.S. history.
In Tucson, Arizona, for example, voters elected Regina Romero, the daughter of farmworkers, as the city's first Latina mayor in the city's history.