New Mexico police shootings prompt demands for investigation

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- New Mexico activists have ramped up their call for a Justice Department probe into Albuquerque police after officers shot and killed two men last week, bringing the total of such shootings to 18 in a little more than two years.

They aren't alone in demanding federal investigations into local authorities in the wake of recent high-profile police shootings.

Civil rights activists in several cities across the nation -- from Las Vegas to Omaha, Neb. -- also have called for U.S. Department of Justice intervention, saying local police are using excessive and deadly force far too often.

In Albuquerque, police have been involved in 23 shootings since January 2010, with 18 ending in deaths. Critics say the numbers are far too high for a city of 550,000 and link the deaths to a practice of union payments to officers involved in such shootings, calling the union program a "bounty."

Albuquerque police officials say the number of deadly shootings has been dropping since it started more than 40 recommendations from two outside consulting groups last year.

The police union defends the payments, saying the checks for up to $500 help cover expenses for officers and their families "to find a place to have some privacy and time to decompress outside the Albuquerque area."

Albuquerque police were involved in 14 shootings, nine fatal, in 2010. There were six police shootings last year, all fatal. And there have been three fatal police shootings this year.

By contrast, New York City police fatally shot eight people and injured 16 in 2010. The population is about 8 million.

A Justice Department spokeswoman said Monday that her office is conducting a preliminary review of the Albuquerque shootings, but no decision has been made regarding a formal investigation.

Mike Garcia, whose son Alan, 22, was shot and killed by Albuquerque police last year after authorities said he was acting erratically and firing a rifle, said he was hopeful that federal authorities would make an announcement soon.

"There has been so much publicity around Albuquerque, I think there is no way they can ignore it anymore," he said.

Albuquerque police last year instituted several changes, including college or military service requirements for new cadets and automatic independent reviews for all officer-involved shootings.

Police Chief Ray Schultz credited the changes with a reduction in police shootings. "As soon as we saw an upward trend in 2010, we responded," Schultz said.

He said his department's police shooting review team looks at each incident to determine whether there also should be changes in policy, training or equipment.