ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Albuquerque Police Department has been under a federal Court Approved Settlement Agreement, also known as CASA, for the last nine years.

“The idea was that we are going to set up APD to continue to self monitor and self reform perpetually going forward, through institutionalizing the concept of constitutional policing, and reform inside the department, without the CASA,” Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said.

The city has put together a new team that will monitor the department going forward.

“One of the biggest decisions we made in that era was creating the Office of the Superintendent of Reform,” Keller said.

The new office will be made up of three civilians:

• Former Judge Sharon Walton, who will be the monitor of police training
• Former Judge Victor Valdez, who will be the monitor of discipline and misconduct
• Retired Undersheriff Christopher Darcy, who will be the monitor of use of force

The monitors will report to Eric Garcia, who currently heads APD’s Internal Affairs, but will be stepping into the role of Superintendent of Reform.

“In this role, like I stated, I answer to the mayor’s office directly, but I do work alongside Chief Medina,” Garcia said.

“This, we believe is going to allow us, essentially to show to the DOJ and the external monitors that we’re ready, ready to do this ourselves,” Keller said. “We’re ready to get out of federal oversight.’

The three monitors have already signed contracts with the city and are ready to begin providing oversight to the department now. They will continue to do so once federal oversight ends.

At last check, the independent monitor said APD was complying with more than 90% of the reforms the department agreed to with federal officials in 2014.