Police Brutality

The New Mexico Court of Appeals recently decided in favor of a plaintiff in a loss of consortium case stemming from a March 2010 accident. Apparently, several Albuquerque police officers responded to a report of a stolen car in a parking lot. The officers parked in various locations around the parking lot in unmarked cars.... read more

Earlier in 2015, a family brought a wrongful death suit against a police department after their family member was killed while in police custody. According to local New Mexico news reports, the case remained at the state level until recently, when a federal lawsuit was brought by the family. The family alleges that in January 2013,... read more

An Albuquerque man was shot and killed by police back in 2013, and his family is bringing a wrongful death suit against the city. According to a New Mexico news report, the suit is alleging that the officers violated the man’s civil rights by using excessive force. Apparently, the incident stemmed from a police search... read more

The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a woman who claims a Bernalillo County corrections officer used excessive force on her during a 2011 strip search. According to the complaint filed in Tapia v. Zapater, Marlene Tapia was arrested and taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center... read more

The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office is reportedly investigating excessive force allegations in connection with a minor traffic collision that occurred on July 12th. According to Sheriff Robert Garcia, an in-dash camera showed deputies forcing a 57-year-old woman in the midst of a diabetic episode out of her vehicle. Despite that the unresponsive woman did... read more