On March 24, and after over three-month national search, Mayor Tim Keller announced his appointment of Interim APD Chief Cecily Barker as the new APD Chief. Barker has been with the department since 2004. On December 31, Mayor Keller appointed her Interim Chief upon retirement of Chief Harold Medina on the same date.
Mayor Keller interviewed several candidates for the position. A total of 19 people applied for the position but only seven were interviewed during the selection process. Mayor Keller and the City refused to disclose all 19 applicants. After the 7 interviews were completed, the search was narrowed down to three candidates:
- APD Interim Chief Cecily Barker
- Dallas Assistant Police Chief Gilberto Garza
- Former Seattle Assistant Police Chief Perry Tarrant
BIOGRAPHY OF APD CHIEF CECILY BARKER
Cecily Barker was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. After attending college out of state. Interim Chief Barker has an associate degree in criminal justice and a bachelor’s degree in justice administration. She is also a graduate from the Major Cities Chiefs Association Police Executive Leadership Institute and the Police Executive Training Program.
After attending college, Cecily Barker returned to Albuquerque and joined the Albuquerque Police Department in 2004. She is a 21 year veteran of APD who has rose through the ranks during her career at APD. After graduating from the police academy, Barker served in the Field Services Bureau from 2004-2012. During that time, she held collateral duties of Gang Suppression Officer, Crisis Intervention Officer and Field Training Officer.
Baker was promoted to Sergeant in 2012 where she served in the Field Services Bureau and later in the Violent Crimes Division and the Missing Person and Cold Case Sergeant. Baker was promoted to Lieutenant in 2017. As a Lieutenant, Cecily Barker served in the Juvenile/Property Crime Division and the Criminalistics Division. Cecily Barker was promoted to Commander in 2020 and served as the Northwest Area Commander and later as the Chief of Staff.
In 2021, Cecily Barker was promoted to Deputy Chief of the Investigative Bureau by then Chief Harold Medina where she lead the Criminal Investigations Division, Investigative Services Division and the Scientific Evidence Division. In October of 2023, Deputy Chief Barker took over the Field Services Bureau where she oversaw the departments 6 Area Commands.
APD is the largest law enforcement agency in the state. As APD Chief Barker will oversee a police department that employs 1,880 full time employees which includes more than 950 sworn police officers and that has an annual approved budget of $271.5 million dollars. APD employs upwards of 20% of all city hall employees and has the largest budget of all the 27 departments.
CHIEF BARKER REACTS TO APPOINTMENT
Former APD Chief Harold Medina in the past expressed support that Barker would be his successor. He was her sergeant when Barker joined the department. Chief Barker said she plans to take a different approach to managing her staff than did Chief Harold Medina. Barker said this:
“[Chief Medina] did great things, but I will tell you that my leadership style is different than his. … I think he had really big shoes to fill, but I have my own shoes… I’m not Harold and I’m here to do what’s right for this police department at this time.”
Barker said one of her goals as chief will be to move APD forward using the standards created through a yearslong settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice after the DOJ found in 2014 that officers had displayed a pattern and practice of excessive force.
Barker said while she was honored to be the first female police chief, she doesn’t want to only be remembered for the historical accomplishment. Barker said this:
“I want people to recognize that females can be chiefs. I don’t want to be the last. … We all want a safer Albuquerque. Moving forward, we are building on that shared goal. We will continue to hold ourselves to the highest standards, strengthen trust with the community and stay focused on results.”
Mayor Keller said this of his appointment of Barker:
“Cecily Barker is the right fit she brings a fundamental understanding of the community, department, and strategies that have helped us turn the corner on crime, while also bringing fresh ideas about where we are going. … As Deputy Chief, she led efforts to revamp investigations and most recently led all uniformed officer field operations. Paired with the new Executive Director of Public Safety, Chief Barker can sharpen her focus on crime fighting and the safety of our neighborhoods and businesses.”
BACKGROUND ON CHIEF SELECTION PROCESS
It was on December 31, APD Chief Harold Medina retired after three decades in law enforcement and on the same day, Mayor Keller announced his appointment of APD Deputy Chief Cecily Barker as Interim APD Chief. Cecily Barker has been with APD 21 years and has come up through the ranks.
On January 8, Mayor Tim Keller announced that he had begun a national search process of selecting a new APD Chief. Community input sessions were scheduled so residents, advocates, organizations and businesses could “identify the leadership qualities, experience and priorities desired in the next chief of police.”
Residents were able to take a community survey to “ensure broad and meaningful input.” Mayor Tim Keller said he was looking for someone who can meet today’s challenges, including fentanyl and long-standing cracks in the criminal justice system.
The Keller Administration hired the outside firm Public Sector Search & Consulting Inc., to assist in the search and selection process for a new APD Chief. According to the city of Albuquerque’s public records website, the firm’s contract began January 2 and had a maximum limit of $100,000 but only $55,000 was spent on the search. The firm specializes in police executive searches and has aided dozens of large law enforcement agencies, including those in Chicago and Dallas. The city has used the firm in the past, including for the search and selection of a Deputy APD Chief.
KELLER APPOINTS PUBLIC SAFETY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
In a surprise move, Mayor Tim Keller also announced the appointment former FBI Special Agent Raul Bujanda to the role of the newly created position of “Public Safety Executive Director.” Mayor Keller said he had been considering creating the position of “Public Safety Executive Director” since the beginning of his first term but was never able to find the right person for the role until now. He said he believed the role needed to be filled by someone who had law enforcement experience but was not from APD.
Bujanda was the Special Agent in Charge at the Albuquerque FBI Office. Bujanda’s position will oversee Albuquerque Police, Albuquerque Fire Rescue, and the Albuquerque Community Safety Department. The Division Director of each department, including Chief Barker, will report to Bujanda. According to APD spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos, the position was created primarily to bridge the gap between the three departments. Bujanda will not begin as Public Safety Executive Director until April 4. A news release states he will report to Albuquerque Chief Administrative Officer Samantha Sengel.
As head of the FBI in New Mexico, Bujanda led the agency during federal investigations into the corruption scandal where two criminal defense attorneys and officers with APD and other local law enforcement conspired to illegally dismiss DWI charges in exchange for bribes. The bribery scheme was reported to had gone on for 30 years and no one detected it. Bujanda said the DWI scandal allowed the department to remove the few officers causing “a negative” impact, adding that the vast majority of the force is “doing the right thing every single day.”
Bujanda said this of his appointment:
“I’m bringing energy, urgency and a collaborative mindset to this role because a single department can’t do this alone. My promise to you is simple: I will listen, I will be present and I will work every day to earn your trust.”
BIOGRAPHY OF RAUL BUJANDA
Public Safety Executive Director Raul Bujanda has more than 27 years of law enforcement experience. On April 8, 2021, then FBI Director Christopher Wray named Raul Bujanda as the Special Agent in Charge of the Albuquerque Field Office in New Mexico and he served in that position for 4 years and retired in May, 2025. Before that, Mr. Bujanda served as a section chief in the Criminal Investigative Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC.
Mr. Bujanda joined the FBI as an FBI special agent in 2002. He was first appointed to the Portland Field Office in Oregon, where he investigated violent crime, gang, and Mexican-based drug trafficking organizations. In 2008, he transferred to the El Paso Field Office in Texas to work on the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force strike force. In 2010, Mr. Bujanda was promoted to supervisory special agent of the El Paso strike force, which also included members from the Drug Enforcement Agency, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Border Patrol, the El Paso Sheriff’s Office, and other agencies.
In 2015, Mr. Bujanda served as an assistant inspector and team leader in the Inspection Division at Headquarters. He was promoted in 2016 to Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the National Security Branch in the Oklahoma City Field Office. He later served as the assistant special agent in charge of Oklahoma City’s Criminal Branch, where he was responsible for criminal violations, administrative matters, and the FBI offices in the western region of the state. In 2019, Mr. Bujanda was named Section chief of the Criminal Investigative Division’s National Covert Operations Section managed and oversaw all criminal and national security undercover operations for the FBI.
One of the highest profile cases that the FBI Field Office in New Mexico handled while Raul Bujanda was the Special Agent In Charge is the DWI bribery and dismissal corruption scandal involving corruption within the APD, the New Mexico State Police and the Bernalillo County Sherriff officers. A total of nineteen (19) law enforcement officers have resigned, retired, been terminated or federally charged or indicted or plead guilty to charges. 16 APD officers have been implicated, charged or plead guilty to federal charges. Nine APD officers, including a Lieutenant, and one Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office Deputy have plead guilty to federal charges of taking bribes. No one has been sentenced for the crimes they have plead guilty to, including two attorneys. It is understood the FBI investigation is continuing.
Raul Bujanda became very high profile while the DWI bribery and corruption scandal was being investigated. Ostensibly, Bujanda has a detailed understanding of the case and the APD Officers charged and who plead guilty.
On March 25, 2024, then FBI Special Agent In Charge Raul Bujanda went public and asked for the public’s help as the FBI continue to investigate the cases of public corruption and the DWI scandal. While Bujanda would not talk about the ongoing investigation into APD’s DWI Unit, he said any time the FBI investigates a case of corruption, they want to exhaust any and all leads. Bujanda asked the public to come forward with any information they may have when it comes to corruption.
Barunda said this:
“When it comes to public corruption, that is the top tier of criminal threats to the FBI. When we think public corruption, people tend to think of elected officials, which is part of it. But the other part is anyone that has a job working for the government, state, local, or federal. They could fall into that definition of what public corruption is, it’s a misuse of that position”
https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/fbi-seeks-publics-help-in-cracking-down-on-public-corruption/
Links to other quoted or relied upon news sources are here:
https://www.koat.com/article/albuquerque-public-safety-appointments/70837701
https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/cecily-barker-announced-as-new-albuquerque-police-chief/
https://www.abqjournal.com/news/cecily-barker-named-next-apd-chief/3008141
https://abqraw.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Barker-Announcement.jpg
COMMENTARY AND ANALYISIS
Both APD Chief Cecily Barker and Public Safety Executive Director Raul Bujanda will have to go through an official confirmation process with the 9 member Albuquerque City Council. Their salaries have not been finalized and are still under negotiation.
APD CHIEF CECILY BARKER
As predicted, Mayor Tim Keller appointed Interim Chief Cecily Barker as the new APD Chief replacing former APD Chief Harold Medina. Speculation was rampant amongst City Hall and APD observers that despite Mayor Keller’s public announcement that he would do a national search for a new Chief, he had already made up his mind and would appoint and make Interim Chief Barker permanent.
The major reason people felt Keller would make Barker permanent is that he followed the identical pattern he has followed with his appointments in the past: appoint an interim chief, announce a national search, spend $100,000 on a firm to gather resumes and then go through the motions of accepting applications, having extensive public input, and doing interviews only to appoint his interim permanent.
Although APD Chief Barker said that her management style is totally different than that of former Chief Harold Medina, her management team remains the same as former APD Chief Medina’s. It is extremely disappointing that she reappointed virtually all of former APD Chief Harold Medina’s Deputy Chief’s and retained the same command staff with the reorganization having very little substance in scope over a department of 950 sworn police. Simply put, APD is top heavy with mid management.
It was on January 9, 2026 that then Interim APD Chief Barker announced the following changes as part of her new executive team:
- Major Luke Languit was named Interim Deputy Chief of Field
- Medina’s former Chief of Staff Miker Hernandez was named Interim Deputy Chief of Support Services.
- Commander Aaron Jones was named Interim Chief of Staff.
- Deputy Chief George Vega continues as Deputy Chief of the Investigations Bureau.
- Deputy Chief Josh Brown continues as Deputy Chief of the Special Operations Bureau.
Barker’s reorganization included the elimination of 12 command staff positions out of a department that employs 1,880 full time employees which includes 913 sworn police officers with many of those positions vacant. Examination and analysis of the APD Organization Chart and the Summary of APD’s personnel reflects a law enforcement agency that is clearly top heavy and bloated with management in need of a major reorganization, deletion of positions, reassignment of personnel and the recruitment of a new generation of police officers.
An article on the reorganization can be found in the postscript below.
Congratulations Chief Barker and best wishes for her success.
PUBLIC SAFETY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RAUL BUJANDA
One potential problem with the appointment of Raul Bujanda as Public Safety Executive Director is whether it presents ethical conflicts or the appearance of impropriety to appoint and individual who investigated APD for government corruption and bribery for dismissal of DWI cases to now be in charge of overseeing APD. With the APD corruption case still pending, it’s more likely than not Raul Bujanda has knowledge of other potential targets that may still be working for APD as sworn police. Bujanda could disgorge any and all information he may have to APD Chief Cecily Barker on other corrupt APD Officers, but that likely is prohibited. Another problematic area is if Bujanda will be asked to run interference for the city with the FBI on the APD corruption scandal or any other cases of government corruption. Its unknown if the United States Department of Justice, which the FBI is a part of, was conferred with by the city regarding the Bujunda appointment and if the appointment presents any conflicts or jeopardizes the continuing FBI investigations of other officers involved in the DWI scandal.
The blunt reality is that Raul Bujanda is just as qualified to be Chief as Cecily Barker, and some would say perhaps even more qualified. The question raised is did Mayor Keller recruit Raul Bujanda to be Public Safety Executive Director or did Raul Bujanda apply to be APD Chief only to be offered the position of Public Safety Executive Director to enable Keller to appoint Barker Chief? Another question that should be answered is why was the position of Public Safety Executive Director not advertised and applications accepted and a national search done as was the case for APD Chief? In the interest of transparency, Keller should make a disclosure how his appointment of Raul Bujanda came about.
There is absolutely no doubt that APD’s reputation has been trashed to a major extent because of this 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 APD to its core especially with the involvement of the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office BCSO and New Mexico State Police Officers.
The only way that any semblance of faith can be restored and for people to begin trusting APD and law enforcement in general again is if all the police officers involved in this scandal are held accountable and the lawyers involved are held accountable. That will only happen with aggressive prosecutions, convictions, and lengthy prison sentences for the law enforcement officers and attorneys involved in the “DWI Enterprise” scheme. Justice will not be served until all are charged and sentenced.
It’s likely Raul Bujanda, given his extensive FBI law enforcement career, is fully committed to the full prosecution of any and all APD Officers that were involved with the DWI bribery and conspiracy scandal. It is hoped that he still has the same disdain for public corruption as he did when he was the FBI Special Agent in charge and that he will not tolerate corrupt APD cops and will not hesitate to root them out. Perhaps he is the right person to help restore APD reputation but the better part of discretion dictates that the appointment be explored further for any potential conflicts.
Congratulations to Public Safety Executive Director Chief and best wishes for success.
POSTSCRIPT