(A) The City of Albuquerque deserves a highly professional well trained Police Department; however, an effective oversight function has not yet evolved to the satisfaction of the community's needs.
(B) In 1996 the City Council initiated a process to independently review the city's mechanisms of police oversight since the system had not been independently evaluated since 1988. As a result of that process, the City Council abolished the then existing Public Safety Advisory Board, and in lieu thereof established the current Police Oversight Commission (POC).
(C) In 2013 the City Council initiated a new process aimed at evaluating potential improvements to the POC and its processes by establishing an Ad Hoc Police Oversight Task Force (POTF). The POTF evaluated the city's current system, studied oversight options, held three Town Hall Meetings to receive input from the public, and presented their final recommenda tions.
(D) On April 10, 2014, the city also received findings from the United States Department of Justice that in part concluded that the city's external oversight system contributed to overall systemic problems with the Police Department's use of force in encounters with civilians.
(E) The Council understands that a properly conceived and functioning police oversight system is necessary to promote accountability of the police officers and protect the rights of civilians, and finds that adopting the recommendations of the POTF will advance these goals and will help respond to the shortcomings identified by the Department of Justice.