Bernalillo County commissioners approve emergency resolution to help MDC staffing shortages

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved an emergency resolution to help with staffing shortages at the Metropolitan Detention Center Tuesday.

The resolution includes looking into multiple solutions:

• MDC will not hold out of county inmates that do not have a Bernalillo County hold as allowed by law and pending agreements.
• Out-of-county jails will be required to promptly collect their inmates, which will help MDC correctional officers by reducing the number of virtual hearings they have to coordinate for outside counties.
• Approve the exploration of appropriation for additional funding to upgrade technology inside MDC.
• Approve the exploration of appropriations for a budget increase of the MDC recruitment department to help staffing levels inside the facility in the long term.
• Request assistance from the New Mexico National Guard. This request includes the return of 13 correctional officers who are currently on duty with the New Mexico National Guard. This also includes any assistance that the New Mexico National Guard can provide, that is not related to correctional officer duties, and can assist MDC.
• Approves the exploration of receiving assistance from interns at the UNM School of Medicine who may perform their internships at MDC and assist with medical needs.
• The exploration of temporarily transferring Bernalillo County employees from other departments to help perform administrative tasks at MDC.

The resolution passed on a 5-0 vote.