ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – On his way to address crime at a press conference Saturday morning, APD Chief of Police Harold Medina found himself in the middle of it.

Medina rolled up on an encampment that was blocking the sidewalk when he witnessed a fight turn into gun shots. To avoid gunfire, he accelerated in his truck and hit another vehicle.

“Chief Medina happened to be at the right place at the right time, and he was able to kind of disrupt an altercation that happened to where shots were fired,” said APD Commander Luke Languit. 

Languit says it was a prime example of why they patrol this area so frequently. 

“When we have encampments blocking the sidewalks, obstructing traffic — what we have noticed and today was a perfect example — when this goes unchecked a lot of times whether because they are under the influence of fentanyl or other substances, altercations can happen and that is exactly what happened today,” Languit said. 

APD isn’t the only one of the job. Back in July, Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen spoke about their efforts to help Albuquerque police. For example, getting in on foot patrols in the area and partnering with them to check in on a more regular basis.

“We are in charge of the whole county. Yes, our main goal is the unincorporated areas, but as we see it we are in charge of all of Bernalillo County,” said Allen in 2023. 

Aside from crime, both departments say it’s a quality of life issue for unhoused people along Central.

“Making sure that we are looking at all the people unhoused, the drug addiction, we’re seeing a lot of issues. We need to make sure we are addressing other than an arrest, how to give people resources also. So we are looking at it on multiple facets,” Allen said.

Another one of those departments is Albuquerque Community Safety. Their street outreach team works with departments to do in-person assessments and connecting people who live in encampments with resources.

They also have mobile crisis team clinicians equipped to help law enforcement with behavioral health emergencies.

“Working with our partners in other city departments, we will continue these operations,” said Languit.