APD to focus on 800 most violent offenders with outstanding warrants

SANTA FE, N.M. — There are more than 5,000 outstanding felony warrants in Bernalillo County right now, according to the sheriff’s office.

Authorities have a plan to tackle the backlog, starting with the most violent offenders.

“Our command staff has taken an in-depth look at the thousands of outstanding felony warrants and will start with 800 of the most violent recent offenders,” said APD Deputy Chief Cecily Barker.

They will have 16 investigative teams with the goal of clearing a case a week over the course of a year – with plans to work with other law enforcement agencies and parts of the criminal justice system.

“It takes two things, us to coordinate our teams together when they’re available for overtime, and then funding or that overtime,” Keller said. “That’s exactly what we’re asking the Legislature for.”

The city is calling on the state Legislature to provide the funding, while the police department focuses on the workforce.

“There’s a variety of things that are going to be occurring to make sure our officers are able to go out and look for these individuals,” said APD Chief Harold Medina.