Misconduct Cases Costly for New Mexico Police Department

Misconduct cases involving the Albuquerque, N.M., police department cost taxpayers $30 million over the past decade. The Albuquerque Journal previously reported the city spent roughly $18 million from 2002 to 2011.

About $8 million of that total has been charged to city taxpayers since Mayor Richard Berry took office in December 2009 and scrapped former Mayor Martin Chavez’s policy of taking nearly all cases against officers to trial.

Officials last week released figures showing another $12.5 million spent on the city’s own legal costs, including staff attorneys, contract attorneys, paralegals, expert witnesses and other costs since 2002.