On December 17, the Albuquerque Police Department confirmed that APD Chief Harold Medina will be retiring from APD on Dec. 31, 2025. Medina informed his commanders of the upcoming retirement during a staff meeting on December 16.
On December 17, at 11:29 am, Chief Medina sent out the following email to all APD employees:
December 17, 2025
TO: To: “APD (ALL)”
RE: Exciting News
Good morning,
During our executive staff meeting yesterday, I informed all commanders and directors that I would be announcing my decision to retire from APD on Dec. 31, 2025. Before I made the announcement, Commander Renee Barraza gave an update on the significant decrease in key crimes in the Southwest, which of course was the same Area Command I led for many years. Commander Barraza knew that bragging about the work of his officers would get the attention of other commanders and from me. My competitive nature took over and I challenged everyone in the room to brag about their officers and always have their backs.
As I get ready to retire, I am most proud of the officers. I remember what it’s like to patrol the streets through the nights and lead teams as a sergeant. I remember the good leaders and mentors, and I remember those who had no business being in leadership. So I challenged all of the commanders to take the baton from me and brag about the work in their bureaus. As leaders, they should be inspiring and supporting you.
I will be leaving in two weeks, but I am always available to support APD.
Harold Medina
Chief of Police
In an APD news release on December 17, Medina said this:
“What got us here was teamwork and leaders who stand up for officers who are doing their jobs, day in and day out. I couldn’t ask for anything more. I may have gotten in trouble at times for being outspoken, but that’s who I am. I led this department the best way I knew how, while developing the next generation of leaders.”
Medina also said this to the Albuquerque Journal about his departure:
“I wanted to exit at the right moment. … And this is the right moment in so many ways; the accomplishments are there.”
Medina has already secured employment after retirement and said he will transition to a role of developing leadership programs for police chiefs across the country.
APD CHIEF HAROLD MEDINA
In 2014, after serving 20 years with APD, Medina retired from the Albuquerque Police Department as a Commander and shortly thereafter became the Chief of Police for the Pueblo of Laguna. In 2017, then APD Chief Michael Geir recruited Medina to return to APD to work with him and Mayor Keller appointed Medina Deputy Chief of Field Services. In 2020, Mayor Keller forced APD Chief Geir to retire and appointed Medina “Interim Chief” in September 2020. Keller then appointed Medina APD Chief in March 2021 after a so called “national search”.
Mayor Keller said this in a news release about Medina’s departure:
“Chief Medina took over a department rife with challenges, he was tasked with concluding the [Department of Justice Court Approved Settlement Agreement], bringing crime numbers down, increase the number of officers and improving trust in the community and with the rank and file. … He retires having achieved these goals and leaves the department a dramatically better place, we are grateful for his 30 years of service for community and the turnaround he lead as chief.”
MEDINA’S MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTDS AS APD CHIEF
Chief Medina proclaims three major accomplishments during his tenure as APD Chief:
- Bringing APD in compliance with the Federal Court Approved Settlement Agreement and implementation of constitutional policing practices
- Bringing down the city’s crime rates
- Increase APD staffing to 1,000 sworn police
During Medinas tenure as Chief, APD has come into compliance with the United States Department of Justice Department Court Approved Settlement Agreement (CASA) mandating constitutional policing practices. On May 12, 2025, the federal court dismissed the case after total of 267 reforms were implemented as mandated by the Court Approved Settlement Agreement with the appointment by the federal court of an independent monitor who did audits of APD’s compliance levels. After a full ten years and the expenditure of millions of dollars to implement the reforms and the training of APD sworn in constitutional policing practices, the case was finally dismissed.
Medina proclaims that under his watch, the city’s crime rates have come down. APD reported that for the very first time in10 years there has been a drop in crime in the city in all categories following a national trend. According to Medina, APD’s clearance rate, which are cases solved by arrest, has improved from about 55% to 86%. Homicides also skyrocketed under his tenure and, in 2022, the department tallied a record-high 121 slayings. Since then homicides have steadily declined and 64 have been recorded so far this year. Car thefts have dropped 44%.
As of December, APD has 925 sworn police officers. According to Medina, APD will be fully staffed by March with a police force of 1,000 sworn officers, which hasn’t been achieved for more than a decade.
WHO WILL REPLACE MEDINA?
Both Mayor Keller and Chief Medina said that Chief Medina’s departure has been in the works for about a year and say they agreed the best time would be after the 2025 municipal election. On December 9, Mayor Keller was elected to a third 4 year term and he must now find a person who will be his third APD Chief. The process could take months. Mayor Keller said this about the process of selecting a new chief:
“You either early on, find somebody and you really want to go with, and then it goes fast. Let’s say three months. … Or you’ve got four or five people that you like, and so you really got to vet them and interview them and get lots of input. Then it pushes it out to, like, nine months.”
Mayor Keller said the long process will be all an effort to find someone who “checks every box.” That includes understanding Albuquerque and the challenges the city faces. The main priority, however, is keeping crime on a downward trend. Keller said this:
“Harold started that process [of keeping crime on a downward trend] , and it has been achieved through technology, through the use of civilians, and through much stronger investigative work. So we want the new chief to be able to build on those, but also come in with some new ideas. … We know we got to look around. … It could be national, in a sense of from another city, but maybe it’s also local. You know, maybe there’s state police or someone from Las Cruces.”
Chief Medina is advocating for one of his appointed Deputy Chief’s to take his place saying “I hope that I left a strong bench for mayor to look at and choose.”
NATIONAL SEARCH
Mayor Keller said he will announce his future plans for APD’s leadership after he is sworn in on January 1 to his third 4 year term as Mayor. At that time, Chief Administrative Officer Samantha Sengel will name an acting chief while the city conducts a national search for a permanent chief. According to APD, they’re looking for a chief who is “an experienced crime-fighter, has leadership experience, has a working knowledge of the Albuquerque community and is committed to maintaining reforms and trust in the department.”
Links to quoted or relied upon news sources are here:
https://www.kob.com/news/top-news/albuquerque-police-chief-harold-medina-is-retiring/
https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/mayor-tim-keller-weighs-in-on-police-chiefs-retirement/
https://www.koat.com/article/albuquerque-police-chief-harold-medina-retirment/69797608
https://www.newsradiokkob.com/2025/12/17/albuquerque-police-department-chief-retires/
https://www.abqjournal.com/news/apd-chief-im-retiring-on-a-high-note/2943761
MEDINA MAJOR CONTROVESIES
APD Chief Medina’s 5 year tenure has been marked with major controversies that have overshadowed all of his accomplishments.
CONTROVERSIAL APPOINTMENT
Mayor Tim Keller’s decision to appoint Harold Medina was controversial from the get-go. It was in September 2020 when then Deputy Chief Harold Medina and then Chief Administrative Officer Sarita Nair were involved with orchestrating the removal of Chief Michael Geir after Medina learned from Geier of Geier’s intent to discipline Medina for “insubordination” and refusing to carry out orders to implement a program to address gun violence. Mayor Tim Keller, dressed incognito wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, met with Chief Geier at a city park and essentially told Chief Geier to retire or be terminated and Geier complied. In 2022, former APD Chief Geier filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the city and APD alleging his efforts to investigate possible wrongdoing at APD were ignored. The lawsuit is still pending.
Mayor Tim Keller’s decision to appoint Harold Medina APD Chief drew sharp protests from APD watchdogs who opposed Medina becoming chief because of his personal involvement in the killing of two people suffering from psychotic episodes. Those cases were:
- In 2002, then APD Field Officer Harold Medina shot and killed 14 year old Cibola High School Student Dominic Montoya who had gone to a church saying he was possessed by demons. The boy banished a BB gun that was indistinguishable from a real gun at Medina who had been dispatched to the church. When Medina encountered Montoya, he had his gun drawn and Medina fired 3 shots at the boy hitting him in the abdomen and killing him.
- In 2010, Kenneth Ellis, III, a 25-year-old veteran who was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder was shot and killed by APD police officers who had pulled him over in a parking lot. Ellis exited the vehicle holding a gun pointed to his head with one hand and a cell phone in the other talking to a relative. Then Lt. Harold Medina admitted in a deposition that when he arrived at the scene, he armed himself with a rifle and he took to the ground in a shooting position at Ellis and authorized another officer to use deadly force against Kenneth Ellis. The Ellis family sued the city for use of deadly force and wrongful death. The jury returned a verdict against the City and found the officer who shot Ellis’ liable for wrongful death and awarded more than $10 million in damages with the court finding that Ellis was more of a danger to himself and not the police nor the public
What Interim Chief Harold Medina said during his webinar interview for his application to become Chief is worth repeating:
“How can you change a culture if you had not lived and been a part of that culture? … I have already begun the transformation process for the Albuquerque Police Department, and I am asking for the time to complete it.”
The appointment of Harold Medina as permanent Chief by Mayor Keller was so very wrong on so many levels. You sure could not change the culture within APD with someone who helped create, was part of and who did not stop “the culture of aggression” found by the Department of Justice.
Medina’s history of reactive decision-making and his failed leadership resulting in the killing of two mentally ill people having psychotic episodes, a 14 year old boy and an Iraq War veteran suffering from PTSD threatening to kill himself while pointing a gun to his head, should have disqualified his appointment as Cheif. APD Chief Harold Medina successfully convinced Mayor Keller and then CAO Sarita Nair the two tragedies were a positive credential to run the APD saying because of the shootings he understood the DOJ reforms, their need and could implement them. Medina’s conduct in the two shootings is the very type of conduct that resulted in the Department of Justice investigation in the first place.
With the separate fatalities involving the mentally ill, APD Chief Harold Medina represented the total opposite of what the city needed in a police chief at the time. It was very critical to have a police chief with experience with reducing use of force, not one who had used deadly force. A chief who has knowledge of crisis management, not one who causes a crisis. A Chief who understands the importance of protecting civil rights, not one who has violated civil rights. A Chief able to tackle the issue of a police department interacting with the mentally ill, not one who has been involved with the killing of two mentally ill people. The fatal shootings Medina was involved with show he possessed none of the desired traits.
CONTROVERSIAL CAR CRASH
On February 17, 2024 APD Chief Harold Medina and his wife were in an a crash in a department-issued unmarked APD vehicle on their way to participate in a press conference with Mayor Tim Keller when Medina decided to stop and call for APD to clear a homeless encampment. According to Medina, he and his wife witnessed two men getting into a fight and a gun was pulled and pointed towards Medina and his wife and a shot was fired.
In response to the shot being fired, Medina fled from the scene and drove through a red light driving through 3 lanes of traffic and T-Boned a gold-colored Ford Mustang driven by Todd Perchert who sustained extensive serious personal injuries . Perchert was taken to the hospital in critical condition where he underwent 7 hours of surgery for his injuries. Medina and his wife were unharmed. Both vehicles were totaled. Medina admitted he did not have his lapel camera on and referred the accident to the Superintendent of Police Reform, who Medina appointed, for investigation.
Mayor Keller refused to hold APD Chief Harold Medina accountable for the vehicle crash where Medina negligently plowed into another driver putting the driver in the hospital in critical condition. Medina admitted to violating state law when he failed to have his body camera on during an incident that preceded the crash. After the crash, Keller called Medina “arguably the most important person right now in these times in our city.” Medina’s appointed Crash Review Board declared the crash as “non avoidable” even after Medina admitted to causing the crash. Medina was given a slap on the wrist with letters of reprimand.
The City and Medina have been sued by the injured driver and the case is still pending. August 26, 2024 Todd Perchert file a personal injury lawsuit for the following personal injuries sustained in the car crash:
- Broken collarbone and shoulder blade
- 8 broken ribs (Reconstructed with titanium plates after surgery)
- Collapsed lung
- Lacerations to left ear and head
- Multiple gashes to face
- Seven-hour surgery
- Hospitalized with an epidural painkiller and chest tube for nearly a week
The lawsuit will likely result in a significant judgement being paid for Medina’s negligent driving and his running of a red light.
DWI DISMISSAL AND CORRUPTION SCANDAL
It’s been called the biggest corruption case in the Albuquerque Police Department history. The DWI dismissal corruption case involves APD officers, Bernalillo Deputy Sheriff and New Mexico State Police all taking bribes to miss court and get cases dismissed or simply dismiss DWI cases .
It was on Friday January 19, 2024 that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executed search warrants and raided the homes of 3 Albuquerque Police officers and the home and law offices of prominent DWI criminal defense attorney Thomas Clear, III and his investigator Ricardo “Rick” Mendez. All those targeted with a search warrant were accused of being involved in a bribery and conspiracy scheme to dismiss DWI cases that spanned three decades or more. After the raids, Medina ordered APD to initiate and internal affairs investigation and ordered APD to cooperate with the FBI.
Federal prosecutors allege that officers accepted bribes, skipped court hearings, and referred DWI suspects to attorney Thomas Clear III who would get the DWI cases dismissed. Several former APD officers have pleaded guilty, including a longtime DWI unit member who admitted to taking $5,000 to dismiss a case.
Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman ordered the dismissal of over 200 DWI cases because of the scandal due to police officer credibility being called into question in cases where they made DWI arrests. The investigation evolved into the single largest law enforcement corruption case in the city’s history involving APD, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and the New Mexico State Police.
The scandal is still under investigation. The DWI dismissal corruption score card thus far is as follows:
- Twenty one cops consisting of sixteen APD Officers, three BCSO officers, including the undersheriff, and one NMSP Sergeant, have been implicated, resigned or retired.
- Thus far 8 APD officers and one BCSO Deputy have plead guilty as charged with no sentencing agreement for their involvement in the DWI Enterprise and accepting bribes to dismiss DWI cases. Depending on the charges plead to, they face between 70 to 130 years in prison.
- Thomas Clear, III and his paralegal Ricardo “Rick” Mendez plead guilty to all federal charges with no agreement as to sentencing with both facing up to 130 years in prison. Clear has been disbarred from the practice of law and his law offices forfeited.
- Private criminal defense attorney Rudolph “Rudy” Chavez plead guilty to a federal extortion charge admitting he bribed an Albuquerque police officer in 2023 to help get his client’s drunken driving case dismissed. Chavez plead guilty to one count each of interference with commerce by extortion and lying to FBI agents investigating the payoff in March 2024. Chavez has also been disbarred.
Chief Medina faced criticism over whether he knew about the scandal earlier. He has stated publicly he had no direct oversight of the DWI unit and had “nothing to hide”. Since the beginning of the DWI Dismissal corruption scandal, Chief Harold Medina has engaged in full fledge “politcal spin cycle” of “pivot, deflect and blame”. Chief Medina proclaimed that the entire scandal was “generational” and occurred over a 30-year period and that he knew nothing about it.
Chief Medina went so far as to blame the Bernalillo District Attorney’s Office for a failure to advise APD when officers did not appear for court. Chief Medina also accused the Public Defender’s Office of being aware of complaints that Public Defender Board of Director member Tom Clear, III was involved with nefarious conduct and that the Public Defender’s Office did nothing. Both Mayor Keller and APD Chief Harold Medina have refused to take any responsibility for what happened under their watch as they deflect and blame others. They both have blamed the Court’s, the DAs Office and the Public Defenders for the DWI dismissals.
Chief Medina made more than a few stunning admissions throughout the sordid APD bribery and corruption scandal investigation. He admitted that the APD bribery and conspiracy scheme to dismiss DWI cases went on the entire time he has been in charge of APD, but he never detected what was going on. Medina admitted that only after he found out the FBI was investigating APD the decision was made to initiate a city criminal and internal affairs investigation and to proclaim cooperation with the FBI. Medina admitted that he knew about the corruption back in December 2022 when APD first received a complaint related to the department’s DWI unit yet he waited and essentially did nothing for a full year.
Chief Medina’s admissions come from a chief who claims he never looked the other way when it comes to police corruption. Medina did in fact looked the other way on documented corruption involving overtime pay abuses by police officers. There have been 7 audits in 8 years documenting corruption, waste, fraud and abuse in police overtime. One of those audits was done by none other than New Mexico State Auditor Tim Keller.
Ultimately, Chief Harold Medina was never held accountable for the scandal and what happened under his watch for a full 6 years. There is absolutely no doubt that APD’s reputation has been trashed to a major extent because of the scandal. APD is viewed by many as again having just another bastion of “dirty and corrupt cops” who have brought dishonor to their department and their badge and to the department’s professed values of “Pride, Integrity, Fairness and Respect”. There is little doubt that this whole DWI dismissal bribery scandal has shaken the public’s faith in our criminal justice system and in APD to its core especially with the involvement of the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office BCSO and New Mexico State Police Officers.
A HISTORY OF MEAN TWEETS
It was in February and March of 2022 that the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) was first taken to task for its social media posts by APD Communications Director Gilbert Gallegos as well as APD Chief Harold Medina. Many considered the posts inappropriate and constituted intimidation and harassment of members of the general public. Members of the Albuquerque City Council were highly critical of APD’s social media posts with demands made that they cease and desist.
It was reported that the Albuquerque Police Department’s Twitter account had been used by Gilbert Gallegos to poke fun at former APD Chief Michael Geier falsely accusing Geier of having dementia, attacked prominent commercial property owner Doug Peterson who had complained about crime and the homeless on his properties. In one tweet, APD made fun of crime in an affluent neighborhood. APD responded to the tweets by Peterson on its Twitter account and posted the following:
“Calling out your b.s. [bull shit] is public service.” (May 24, 2022 at 9:25 AM,)
“You only complain and never offer solutions.” (October 13, 2022 at 3:52 PM)
“Your racism aside, we have charged 99 murder suspects this year.” (October 6, 2022 at 9:33 pm)
APD for its part made no apologies for the tweets on its TWITTER and FACEBOOK page with Chief Harold Medina and Mayor Tim Keller defending the conduct.
APD Police Chief Harold Medina was asked at the time to respond to the propriety of the APDs tweets against commercial property owner Doug Peterson. Medina admitted that the tweets violated the city’s social media policy. The policy states when replying to posts on city accounts, city employees are supposed to “keep it professional and avoid confrontation.” Medina referred to the Peterson tweets as “cyberbullying” which is a laughable accusation.
HISTORY OF ACRIMONY WITH CITY COUNCIL
APD Chief Medina’s poor relations with the Albuquerque City Council cannot be overstated. Over the past two years there were at least two attempts to call for a vote of no confidence in Chief Medina to no avail as Mayor Keller stood by his appointment ignoring all complaints of poor management and cronyism at APD by Chief Medina.
OTHER CONTROVERSIES NOTED
APD Chief Medina has been involved with other other controversies which have not been widely reported on. One confidential source provided the following listing:
- Detention of a African American protestor named Deyonate Williams of APD anti-gun policies that cost the City $60,000.
- The resignations of Emergency Response Team officers because of Medina’s retaliation upon the sergeant who supporter protestor Deyonate Williams.
- The actual record setting number of homicides over numerous years.
- The flagrant violation of open records laws resulting in millions of dollars of judgments against the city.
- The flagrant retaliation against APD officers resulting $1 million judgments and jury awards.
- The flagrant violation of media rights resulting in multiple awards of judgement in excess of $250,000 for point of viewpoint discrimination violations.
- The initiation of complaints against a sitting City Council member.
- The nepotism scandal of DCOP son’s conduct.
- Interfering with arrest of son-in-law for metro court warrants for arrest.
- The intentional deletion or destruction of city emails involving official city business.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
The fact that Chief Medina is departing is probably the very best news that Mayor Tim Keller could get next to his reelection to his third term. APD Chief Harold Medina’s retirement really comes as no surprise because he hinted at it over eight months ago although he tried to walk it back saying he may not retire as originally planned. The Medina departure gives Mayor Keller the opportunity to start fresh with a new beginning and a new generation of leadership at APD.
Eight years ago when Keller first ran and became Mayor, Keller proclaimed crime was out of control, that he could get it down and that he would increase APD sworn from the 850 to 1,200. After 10 full years, historically high crime rates have finally begun to come down in 2025 only because the decline is part of a national trend and really has nothing to do with Medina nor Keller’s failed policies. The city’s ongoing homicide and violent crime rates continue to be at historical highs and people simply do not feel safe in their homes as the fentanyl crisis surges.
The Albuquerque Police Department is still dangerously understaffed at 925 cops with only 350 sworn police assigned to the seven area commands in 3 shifts to handle calls for service. APD is seriously understaffed despite eight years of increased budgets, salary increases and lucrative bonus pay by Mayor Keller.
What is very concerning is that Mayor Keller proclaims there will be a national search for a new chief, which is identical to what he said when he fired Chief Geier and eventually appointed APD Chief Harold Medina, who Keller had appointed interim Chief. The selection process used by Keller that ultimately resulted in the appointment of Harold Medina was considered by many a sham and once Medina applied to be appointed Chief, it was a forgone conclusion that Keller would appoint him Chief. The blunt reality is that APD sworn police and in particular the APD Union will resist anyone from outside of APD.
Confidential sources have confirmed that Chief Harold Medina has been grooming Deputy Chief Cecily Barker to be his replacement as Chief. The same sources have said that Mayor Keller has expressed the strong desire to appoint the first female APD Chief in the city’s history as he has done with the appointment of the Fire Chief. Should Keller in fact appoint Cecily Baker APD Interim Chief and then Chief, it will be a signal that Medina will continue to have influence over APD and nothing will change.
The continuing influence of APD Chief Harold Medina and the APD union can not be overstated. If the entire command staff that Chief Medina has put in place over the last 5 years is not replaced, including all the Deputy Chiefs, there is little to no chance APD will change. APD will revert back to the old ways that brought on the Department of Justice consent decree.
Hope springs eternal that Mayor Keller will in fact do a national search, that is not a sham to replace Medina and not simply to appoint a Medina crony.
Links to related article are here: