By Connor Currier
The Albuquerque City Council has selected a familiar face to head its Civilian Police Oversight Agency. Diane McDermott, who had been serving in an interim capacity, will lead the independent accountability group.
The Civilian Police Oversight Agency receives and investigates complaints against APD.
A national search turned up a long list of applicants, and after initial set of interviews, the City Council narrowed its list to three people. Other than McDermott, finalists are Garrett Schaaf, a supervising investigator for a similar body in Chicago, and Mariana Borunda, an Albuquerque crime scene specialist.
McDermott did the job on an interim basis for a year during which the position was officially vacant. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and criminology, and a master’s degree in security management. Her experience as interim director makes for a seamless transition, according to a city press release.
“Improving the department is the main goal,” McDermott said in an interview before the Feb. 5 Council meeting. “This has been my life’s work.”
The job is an important one giving the city’s history with law enforcement.
The Albuquerque Police Department has been under supervision by the U.S. Department of Justice since 2014. The DOJ investigation concluded that APD engaged in a pattern or practice of excessive force that violates the Constitution and federal law.
Now the FBI is investigating corruption into APD’s DWI unit, where investigators say officers had been taking bribes to help accused drivers stay out of jail.
Recently the New Mexico’s District Attorney’s Office criticized APD as mismanaged and dysfunctional.
McDermott said in an interview that she understands the frustration of people concerned about the corruption investigations into APD and why there needs to be a fair investigation being done.
“We give the citizens a voice to be able to express that they are unhappy or feeling like there’s a problem with a particular situation that we investigate,” McDermott said. “Likewise, we also give the officers a fair investigation.”
