On June 15, 2020 Mayor Tim Keller announced the creation of the Albuquerque Community Safety Division (ASC). It is a third department of first responders that serves alongside the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) and the Albuquerque Fire Rescue Department (AFRD) to deliver a civilian-staffed, public health approach to safety.
The department was created to change the way Albuquerque handles public safety calls for service and to move resources away from armed police response as a one-size-fits-all answer. Albuquerque Community Safety (ACS) includes trained professionals such as social workers, housing and homelessness specialists, violence prevention and diversion program experts. The department give 9-1-1 dispatch an option when a community safety response is more appropriate than a paramedic, fire-fighter, or armed police officer.
The FY/26 proposed General Fund budget for Community Safety is $17.9 million. The F/Y 26 proposed budget for ACSD includes funding for a total of 140 full time employees (FTE) which is an increase of 9 FTEs over last years131 FTEs.
https://www.cabq.gov/mayor/news/mayor-tim-keller-to-refocus-millions-in-public-safety-resources-with-first-of-its-kind-civilian-response-department
WHISTLEBLOWER LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST ACS
On April 24, 2025, Channel 4 Investigates reported that a whistleblower lawsuit has been filed against the City of Albuquerque and its ACS Division by Elaine Maestas, a former ACS Community-Oriented Response Assistance (CORA) responder.
Maestas alleges in her lawsuit that the Albuquerque Community Safety Division misrepresented its working relationship with police, and retaliated against her when she spoke out when she worked as an ACS responder. Maetas was a Community-Oriented Response Assistance (CORA) responder. A CORA unit is a specialized team designed to “respond with a trauma-informed approach to educate on cycles of grief and healing while connecting people to service providers and resources. ” In her lawsuit Maestas claims ACS works “hand-in-glove with Albuquerque Police Department.”
Maestas said this:
“There [were]… many calls where it was unnecessary for them [APD] to be there, [but they were anyway] and it really undermined the purpose of what the department was created to do.”
The lawsuit claims while out responding to a call for service, Maestas overheard a conversation between a police officer and another ACS employee about “roughing up ” a civilian and the ACS employee was prevented from engaging a person in crisis because the APD officer opted to make for arrest. Maestas said when she spoke up about her concerns, leadership retaliated against her. Maestas said this:
“I found myself on an island. I felt alone many times. … I had a lot of high hopes for this department and the potential that it could offer the community. But I was pushed out.”
Channe 4 Investigates asked Maestas’ attorney Laura Schauer Ives if the city deserves any leeway as Maestas worked for ACS as the department was just getting started. Schauer Ives said this:
“When you present a program and represent a promise to the public about how you’re going to handle situations in the future, that’s how you need to handle them. It’s not something that you get to work the kinks out on.”
NOT THE FIRST LAWSUITE FILED
Elaine Maestas became a Community-Oriented Response Assistance (CORA) responder after her sister was shot and killed by Bernalillo County Deputies in 2019. She said when she first joined ACS “It seemed like an answered prayer.” Maestas moved to Missouri, giving up on New Mexico and saying her subsequent police accountability advocacy role had run its course saying “[I] felt hopeless. Like, what’s going to change?”
Maestas said this about her move:
“We miss our New Mexican roots, miss home. … It was not an easy, decision that I made. I’m going to try not to get emotional.”
Maestas also sued Bernalillo County after her sister’s killing in 2019. She was awarded $4 million after a wrongful death lawsuit was settled with Bernalillo County.
KOB 4 Investigates asked if anyone from ACS would sit down for an interview. The following statement was sent:
“Albuquerque Community Safety (ACS) is a civilian-led department that provides trauma-informed, community-centered responses and does not engage in enforcement activities. While only about 1% of ACS field response calls in the past year resulted in a co-response with APD, we are grateful for APD’s partnership in ensuring safety for all involved. In addition to field response, ACS’s specialty teams—including the Violence Intervention Program, Community Oriented Response and Assistance Team, and Opioid Education Team —work proactively with APD to address root causes of violence, substance use, and other crises through long-term community engagement. APD is a trusted partner in this work, and we are thankful for their ongoing collaboration with ACS and the community.”
ACS HITS MILESTONE
On April 2, 2025, ACS announced it had reached the milestone of taking 100,000 calls for service since opening in 2021. In recent years, ACS has gone from handling 900 calls a month to handling 3,000 a month, becoming a 24/7 service and opening a standalone headquarters in 2024. Officials believe the surge is partly due to growing awareness of the department’s services and the diminishing stigma surrounding mental health support.
Despite thousands of calls being rerouted to ACS during that time, fatal confrontations between officers and those in crisis have continued. In recent years, APD officers have shot and killed several people, a fair number of whom were armed, during a behavioral health crisis. In February, an ACS worker called 911 after not being able to make contact with a man who was threatening suicide. When officers showed up, the man pointed an unloaded handgun at them and was fatally shot, according to police.
John Dodd, the clinical supervisor for ACS, explained that many individuals contacting their team are at a breaking point, unsure where to turn for help. He emphasized the department’s holistic and empathetic approach, which connects individuals to essential resources such as counseling, therapy, and psychiatric care. In response to this increased demand, ACS plans to hire more responders and has extended its training program from six weeks to three months. This adjustment ensures that responders are more experienced before engaging with individuals in crisis.
Links to relied upon or quoted news sources are here:
https://www.koat.com/article/albuquerque-community-safety-seeing-increased-calls/64364711
https://www.koat.com/article/albuquerque-community-safety-seeing-increased-calls/64364711
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
It is very troubling that a whistleblower case has been filed against the ACS department alleging APD is continuing to work calls for service that should be handled strictly by ACS. By all accounts, ACS is reducing APD’s involvement with calls for service, but that may be only “public relations” claims, something that Mayor Tim Keller and his administration are known for and have perfected as Keller seeks his third four year term.