Albuquerque city councilor calls for additional investigation into APD chief’s crash

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Albuquerque City Councilor Louie Sanchez wants the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy Board to review a crash involving Albuquerque Police Department Chief Harold Medina. The chief was involved in a crash near Central and Alvarado earlier this year after he said he heard gunfire and hit the accelerator.

The New Mexico Department of Justice opted not to bring criminal charges against Chief Medina but APD’s Internal Affairs found Medina violated the department’s policies for failing to safely operate his vehicle and failing to turn on his body camera.

Councilor Sanchez has now filed a complaint with the LEA and New Mexico Department of Safety. Councilor Sanchez sent this statement:

As the chief Law Enforcement officer of the state’s largest police department, the chief should hold himself to a higher standard than that of his rank and file, not lower. We are at a crossroads where officer morale is at an all-time low and public trust might even be lower.

Chief Medina’s actions are the type of actions that brought the U.S. Department of Justice oversight in the first place. Here, he openly disregarded state law.

Albuquerque City Councilor Louie Sanchez

In response, a spokesperson for Mayor Tim Keller’s Office sent this statement:

Louie Sanchez has publicly carried a grudge against Chief Medina for years, but his most recent publicity stunt is not only over the top, it’s redundant. Chief’s crash has been extensively reviewed and a final decision made, and APD is focused on fighting crime.

Staci Drangmeister, Director of Communications

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