To:Ms.

Larsen
From:MarcosTorres
Date:14February2015
Subject:MajorWritingAssignment1
Forthismajorwritingassignment,IwroteabouttheAlbuquerquePolicingculture
andtheissuessurroundingit.IusedbothmyLSAoneandtwoinformationtowritethis
majorwritingassignment.Thetoneusedforthisassignmentisaformal,butyetan
opinionatedstance.Iwroteaboutbothstances,butitcanbefiguredoutwhichstanceI
sidewith.TheaudiencethatIwrotetowasyoungertoolderadultsinAlbuquerque,
specificallytowardspeoplewhomaythinkAlbuquerqueisnotaggressive.Iwrotetothis
audiencetopersuadethemthatAlbuquerquedoesinfacthaveanissuethatneedstobe
fixed.ThepurposeofthispiecewastopersuadetheaudiencetothinkthatAlbuquerque
usesunnecessaryforceandthatithasbuiltaculturethatmakesitokay.Themainpoints
ofthisassignmentwerethatofficersinAlbuquerquehavetodealwithhighercrimerates,
havealackoftraining,andlastly,thattheyhadpreviousrecommendationsthatwere
ignored.
Whenwritingthisassignment,Ihadalittlebitofdifficultywritinginawayto
supportmyopinionbutstillrepresentingtheotherstancefairly.IusedmyLSAtwothat
helpedmemakesureIstayedtruetotheotheropinionsoftheotherstance.Mostofthe
ideasthatIusedforthismajorwritingassignmentcamefromalltheinformationIhad
foundformylowstakesassignments.Ialsousedsomeinformationandopinionsthat
camefromconversationwithfriendsandfamily.Whenwritingthisassignment,Ifoundit

easytouseinformationthatIfoundinotherassignmentsandconnectthemtomymajor
writingassignment.WritingthispaperwaseasierthannormallywritingpapersbecauseI
haddonepreviousresearchforotherwritingassignments.However,Ifounditdifficultto
findcrediblesourcesandtoalsocitethemthroughoutthepaper.Ithelpedgoingover
goodwaystotellifasourceisgoodinclassanditalsohelpedpracticingcitingsources
withothersinclass.Whatsurprisedmewhenwritingthismajorwritingassignmentwas
theeaseofusingtheotherassignmentsIhadalreadywrittenandcompiledallthe
informationinonelargerpaper.
ThelearningoutcomeforthisassignmentwaslearningoutcomeCwhichsays,
usemultipleapproachesforplanning,researching,prewriting,composing,assessing,
revising,editing,proofreading,collaborating,andincorporatingfeedbackinorderto
makeyourcompositionsstrongerinvariousmediumsandusingmultipletechnologies.I
feellikeIhavemadegreatimprovementinthislearningoutcome.Byusingmylow
stakesassignmentsitmadeitmucheasiertoactuallywritethislargerpaper.Itfeltalmost
likeaprewrite.IhadmanyofthesourcesalreadycompliedsoIjusthadtogothrough
andwritewhatIhadalreadywrittenaboutwhichwasbetterthanstartingfromscratch.I
wasabletoreviseandeditwhatIhadalreadywrittenaboutinotherpaperstomakeit
morerefinedandcorrect.OutsideofclassImadeprogressonthislearningoutcomeby
reviewingbothmysourcesandpapersthatwerealreadywritten.Activitiesinclassthat
helpedmemakeprogressonthislearningoutcomeincludedincorporatingfeedbackby
othersonmyoutlineformymajorwritingassignment.

WhenreadingthisMWA,IhaveafewquestionsIwouldlikethereadertothink
about.Myfirstquestionisthatiftheissuesbroughtupinthispaperwereaccuratebased
onwhattheyhaveheardfromfriends,family,orthenews.Second,Iwantthereaderto
questionthatifsomeonetheyknewwereinjuredbytheAPDaggressiveness,howwould
theyrespondorhowtheywouldfeelaboutit?Lastly,whatwouldbeonethingthatyou
asthereaderthoughtwouldimprovetheoverallcultureofAPD?Iwouldlikethereader
tofocusontheevidenceprovidedbythesourcesthroughoutthepaper,aretheycredible?
Iwouldlikefeedbackonthesourcescredibilityandrelevancy.Iwouldalsoappreciate
feedbackonifthecounterargumentislegitimate.

TheAlbuquerquePoliceDepartmentandTheirAggressiveBehavior
Introduction

Alocalissuethathasrecentlyreceivednationalattentionistheexcessiveforce

usedbythepoliceofficersofAlbuquerque.Thedefinitionofexcessivepolicingisnot
concreteanditisanarguablesubject,butitbasicallyiswhenapoliceofficerusesany
typeofunnecessaryforcetoarrestasuspect(Segan).Therecentcultureandtypeof
policingthathastakenplaceinAlbuquerqueanditssurroundingareahasnotonlycaused
manyinjuriesanddeath,buthasalsoplacedasenseofmistrustamongthecitizensofthe
city.Accordingtovocativ.com,therehavebeenover40shootingswithinAlbuquerquein
thelastfouryears.Withinthoseshootings,morethanhalfwerefatal(Bell).Theworst
partwasthatsomeofthosewhowereshotwereeitherintheprocessofsurrenderingor

notanimmediateanddangerousthreattotheofficers(Bell).AlthoughtheAlbuquerque
PoliceDepartmenthasconsistentlybeenwarnedoverthepastdecadethrough
recommendationreports,thehighcrimeratesaswellastheculturethathasbeenbuilthas
createdanaggressiveenvironmentbecauseofthelackoftrainingthattheofficershave
received.
PreviousWarningsandRecommendations
ManyreportshavebeenissuedovertheyearsrevealingproblemswithintheAPD
andmanyrecommendedchanges.Policymakersandleadershavejustrecentlytakenthe
recommendationsinthosereportsintoconsideration.Althoughthereweremanyreports
thatwerecreated,thecityandthepoliceforcedidnotfollowortakeuptheadvice,which
hasworsenedAPD'sculture.Areportthatwascreatedin1997specificallystatedthatthe
departmenthadanissuewithpoliceofficersfatalshootings.Anotherproblemthereport
highlightedshowedthattherewereveryhighpaymentstothosewhohadbeenaffected
throughtortclaims.Essentially,thegovernmentwaspardonedoftheirimmunityandwas
suedbythosewhowereinjuredbyofficers.Anotherissuethatwaspresentevenback
thenwasamajorstrainintherelationshipsbetweenofficersandgroupsofcitizens(Luna
&Walker).RichardJeromecreatedtwomorereportsin2002and2011.Thesereports
highlightedtheirsuggestedchangesregardingcitizenoverviewofthedepartment
(AlbuquerqueForward:Resources).
Lastly,PoliceExecutiveResearchForumcreatedareportin2011thatmade
suggestionsaboutimprovingtheforceoftheofficers(AlbuquerqueForward:
Resources).Thisreportshowedevidencethatalthoughthecrimecommittedagainst

officersdecreasedfiveyearsago,thattheamountofshotsthatofficersfiredincreased.
TheirsuggestionsincludedcreatinganindexatthebeginningoftheUseofForcePolicy
tohelpofficersbemoreorganizedwhenunderstandingtherules.Also,theymadea
suggestionthattheofficersshouldhaveafieldsupervisortohelppromoteintegrityand
upholdregulationswhenmajorincidentsoccur.Sincethesituationsescalatevery
quickly,thesupervisorcouldbethereasawaytoslowtheofficersdownandmakethem
thinkbeforereacting(AlbuquerqueForward:Resources).Overall,therehavebeenmany
warningsaswellaswrittenreportsfromavarietyofintellectuals,insiders,andcitizens,
describingandillustratingrecommendationsforAPD.Andyet,allofthisgreatadvice
thatthedepartmentcouldhaveintegratedwasnevereventhoughtaboutuntiltheyhave
cameunderextremeheatfortherecentshootings.Finally,whentheDepartmentof
Justicehadtointervene,someoftheseideasandconceptshavebeenforced,buttoo
manyliveswerelostinthemeantime.
AlbuquerquesHighCrimeRate

ThecrimerateinAlbuquerqueisveryhighcomparedtoothercitiesthroughout

thenation.In2012,forevery100,000peopleinAlbuquerque,thenumberthatcommitted
violentcrimeswas418.2(seefig.1).Thismaynotseemlikealargenumber,but
comparedtothe214outof100,000ofthenationalaverage,itspeaksvolumes.Alsoin
2012inAlbuquerque,therewere7.4peoplewhoweremurderedper100,000,whereas
thenationalaveragewasat4.7murdersfor100,000.Becausethecrimerateissohigh,
policeofficersareunderstaffedcomparedtootherstates.In2012,forevery100,000
peopleinAlbuquerque,thenumberthatcommittedviolentcrimeswas418.2(seefig.1).

Thismaynotseemlikealargenumber,butcomparedtothe214outof100,000ofthe
nationalaverage,itspeaksvolumes.AccordingtoCityData.com,in2012in
Albuquerque,therewere7.4peoplewhoweremurderedper100,000,whereasthe
nationalaveragewasat4.7murdersfor100,000.Becausethecrimerateissohigh,police
officersareunderstaffedcomparedtootherstates.(CrimeRateinAlbuquerque,New
Mexico).

Figure1ThisimageshowsthattheviolentcrimerateinAlbuquerqueisabovethe
nationalaverageintheyear2012(CrimeRateinAlbuquerque,NewMexico).
Becauseofallofthisexcessivecrime,thereisalackofofficersandtheyarespreadthin
throughoutthecity.Whentoughincidentsarise,itishardertocalmandcontrola
situation,whichiswherethingsturnviolent.
LackofTraining
WithinAPD,therehasbeenalackoftrainingforofficers,whichhasresultedin
violenceandaggression.Manyofficersdonthavetheunderstandingorresourcestobe
abletohandletoughsituations.Invocativ.com,itshowedanemailLieutenantFernando
Aragonsentouttohisdepartment.Withinthisemail,hesuggestedthattheofficersattend
aBulletproofMindtraining,aseminaraboutthestudyofkilling(Bell).However,
throughoutalloftheviolentshootingsthatthedepartmentrecentlywentthrough,it
wouldhavebeenthoughtthatthedepartmentwouldhavehadamandatorytraining.This

goesalongwiththemainconceptthatbecauseofthelargenumberofpoliceofficersin
Albuquerquecomparedtothefundingoftheirdepartments,theyarelackingessential
trainingthatcouldbeprovenveryvaluableinviolentsituations.Also,therearemany
youngofficersthatareenteringthedepartment.Althoughtheyaretrainedthroughpolice
academies,theylackactualexperienceinthefield.Whenrookieofficersaresentoutinto
thefieldwithoutpropertraining,theymightreactquicklyandaggressivelytowards
suspects,especiallywhentheyfeelinsecureaboutthesituation.Astudyrevealedthat
theofficersmostcommonlyinvolvedinuseofforceanddeadlyforceareyounger,with
lesstimeinthedepartment(ReviewofuseofForce).Ifthedepartmentwereableto
allowtheolderandmoreexperiencedofficerstomentoryoungerones,itwouldallow
themmoreexperienceandalsobettertraininginthefield.
Notonlyistherealackoftrainingforofficers,butdispatchersalsoneedmore
traininginordertoeffectivelyandefficientlytellofficers(whichonesandhowmany)
wheretogo.Dispatchersshouldbetrainedandhaveaspecificprotocolthattheyfollow
whenanarmedandordangerouspersonisincludedinasituation.Byallowingthe
dispatchertohavemoretraining,theyareabletoquicklydispatchunitsinamoretimely
mannerandtheywouldalsobeabletosendoutasupervisor,asmentionedabove,ora
CrisisInterventionTeamtohelpfacilitatetheissues.Also,asshowninthetablebelow,
theamountofincidentsrelatingtoviolencedecreasedastheamountofofficersincreased
foraviolentcrime.Therefore,iftherewasmorefundingfortheofficersandtheir
training,moreofficerscouldbehiredwhich,inturn,coulddecreaseviolenceoverall.By

allowingmoreofficerstobedispatchedtoaviolentsituation,itcanreducetheaggression
ofofficersandencourageabetterculture(ReviewofuseofForce).
Table1:

Table1showsthattheamountofofficersthatarelocatedatascenepositively
correlatetotheamountofincidentsthatoccur.Themoreofficersthatarepresent,theless
likelyanofficeristoengageinviolenceoraggression,specificallydeadlyforce.
Conclusion
Inconclusion,theamountofexcessiveforceandaggressionthattheAlbuquerque
PoliceDepartmenthasdisplayedhasgoneonforalongtime.Manypeoplehad
previouslywrittenarticlesofwarningsandrecommendationsthatthedepartmentcould
followinordertohaveabetterandmorecivilizedculture.However,thedepartment
didntconsiderthosewarningsuntilthepublicprotestedandtheDepartmentofJustice
hadtointervene.Albuquerquehasaveryhighviolentcrimeratecomparedtoothercities
throughoutthenation,andwithalackofmoneyfromthecity,itishardertohiremore

officersandgetthemessentialtraining.Thetrainingthattheofficersneedincludethatof
understandingandrespondingwelltobadandviolentsituationsofthesuspects.Ifthere
wasmoretrainingthatwentintospecializedunits,thentheywouldbeabletohandle
situationsandnotescalatethemfurthertothepointofinjuringsomeone.Theproblem
withtheAlbuquerquePoliceDepartmenthaslingeredaroundforyears.Theunderstaffing
ofthedepartment,lackoffundsforessentialtraining,sendinginexperiencedofficersinto
violentsituations,andnothavingasupervisordispatchedwhenneededhascontinually
ledtoadeclineinthecityspolicingdepartment.

WorkCitedPage
"AlbuquerqueForward:Resources."APDForward.APDForward,N.d.Web.2Feb.
2015.
Bell,Gabriel."AlbuquerquePoliceDepartmentGetsLessonsin"Killology""Vocativ.
Vocativ,24Nov.2014.Web.6Feb.2015
"CrimeRateinAlbuquerque,NewMexico."CrimeRateinAlbuquerque,NewMexico
(NM):Murders,Rapes,Assaults.CityData.com.N.dWeb.28Jan.2015.
Luna,Eileen,andSamuelWalker."AReportontheOversightMechanismsofthe
AlbuquerquePoliceDepartment."WalkerLunaReport,N.p,28Feb.1997.Web.6
Feb.2015,
"ReviewofuseofForceintheAlbuquerquePoliceDepartment."APDForward.Police
ExecutiveResearchForum(PERF),23June2011.Web.9Feb.2015.
Segan,Sascha."WhatIsExcessiveForce?"ABCNews.ABCNewsNetwork,14July
2014.Web.6Feb.2015.