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. In a surprise move, Mayor Tim Keller also announced the appointment former FBI Special Agent Raul Bujanda to the role of a 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.
KOB CHANNEL 4 INTERVIEW
On March 26, 2026 KOB News Reporter Trevor Thompson interviewed Raul Bujanda on potential conflicts with Barunda taking the position. Following is the transcript of the abbreviated news story posted on the KOB web page:
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A former FBI official in New Mexico says his time investigating the Albuquerque Police Dept. will not impact his new role with the City of Albuquerque.
Raul Bujanda, who served as the FBI Special Agent in Charge in Albuquerque from 2021 to 2025, was recently appointed by Mayor Tim Keller as the new Albuquerque Public Safety Executive Director.
He is set to oversee and advise three different agencies in his new role – police, fire, and community services (ACS) – and will be paid approximately $187,000 a year to do so.
Bujanda still needs confirmation from city councilors but told KOB 4 he expects to meet with them in the coming days and then looks forward to helping the City in his new position.
He stated that his primary role will be to facilitate communication between different agencies in addition to fostering relationships between those agencies and the public.
“Collaboration and building trust, and the trust is not only within our departments but outside with the community, so the community can know exactly what those three entities are doing on a daily basis,” said Bujanda.
THE DWI DECEPTION SCANDAL
But his previous role with the FBI, during a time in which the feds were actively investigating a DWI scandal that rocked APD, has led others to question what he will be able to disclose to police and city leaders in his new role.
“There’s a very fine line between what is going on and what he’ll be able to disclose and discuss with the powers-that-be, including the mayor,” said former Albuquerque Chief Public Safety Officer Pete Dinelli.
Dinelli, a former city councilor, also served in a similar role under Mayor Marty Chavez in which he was tasked with overseeing multiple agencies.
He wonders if Bujanda’s knowledge of APD and those who were involved in a scandal that saw officers take bribes to miss court dates, will alter the way in which he views those within the department.
“So, he is aware of those that have been charged, but he’s also aware of who else is going to be charged and who else is there and could potentially be indicted,” said Dinelli.
KOB 4 asked Bujanda if any others have brought up similar concerns over a potential conflict of interest regarding his new role.
“No, not at all, because if anything I want to continue to do that collaboration we have, not only with the FBI, but any entity that is looking to see what we’re doing inside or internally. That’s going to continue,” said Bujanda.
Dinelli said he has no doubt Bujanda is qualified for his role with the City of Albuquerque, but he still wonders how easy it will be for Bujanda to oversee a department he once investigated.
“It’s gonna put him in a very awkward position. There’s no getting around it, especially to what extent he is going to be in control of the Albuquerque Police Department,” said Dinelli.
The link to view the full and more detailed KOB news report with further information is here:
https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/meet-albuquerques-new-public-safety-executive-director/
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
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 sworn 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. The FBI investigation is continuing.
Simply put, Raul Bujanda’s interview with KOB 4 was as simplistic and as evasive as it gets. He effectively sidestepped answering the question of conflicts by saying no one has questioned if there is a conflict with him taking the $187,000 city job. He did not say whether or not his appointment presents ethical conflicts or the appearance of impropriety to appoint an individual who investigated APD for government corruption and bribery for dismissal of DWI cases and to now be in charge of overseeing APD as well as the City Fire and Rescue Department and the Albuquerque Community Safety Division.
According to the KOB report, Raul Bujanda told KOB 4 that after he retired from the FBI, he reached out to then Chief Harold Medina who then introduced him to Mayor Tim Keller before last years election to discuss how he could assist the city on law enforcement issues and other matters affecting the city. Bujanda did not disclose to KOB if the DWI corruption case was discussed in detail with Medina or Keller as he sought employment with Keller. The conversations eventually led to Mayor Keller deciding to offer the position of Public Safety Executive Director to Bujanda.
Mayor Keller said he wanted to create the position since the beginning of when he took office over 8 years ago and he wanted a person with a background in law enforcement. Keller said he could not find anyone qualified for the job. Keller’s explanation is laughable and disingenuous. An important point that must be emphasized that discredits Keller’s assertion that he could not find a qualified person is the position of Public Safety Executive Director was not advertised by the city nor were other applications solicited nor accepted. A national search was not done as was the case for APD Chief.
There appears to be no real urgent need for a position that will oversee APD, the Fire and Rescue Department and the Albuquerque Community Safety Department other than for public relations and community outreach, something already done by the Chief of Police, the Chief of the Fire Department and the Director of the Community and Safety Division as well as public information officers. It is understood that there is no written job description for the position of Public Safety Executive Director. Keller simply rushed to hold a press conference to announce the appointment along with the appointment of the new APD Chief of Police.
The APD corruption case is still pending. Bujanda likely knows more about the cases than he is willing to disclose. Raul Bujanda has knowledge of other potential targets that may still be working for APD as sworn police. He has not disclosed what efforts and what assurances have been made by Mayor Keller to prohibit Borunda from disclosure of confidential information in criminal cases involving the APD DWI bribery cases.
It’s unknown if the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), which the FBI is a part of, was a reference for Bujanda, or if the FBI or DOJ were 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. Bujanda could disclose any and all information he may have to APD Chief Cecily Barker or Mayor Tim Keller on other corrupt APD Officers, but that likely is strictly prohibited by his FBI oath of office or the oath to keep evidence presented to a grand jury strictly confidential.
Another problematic area is if Mayor Keller or others will be asking Bujanda to run interference for the city with the FBI or the United States Attorney on the APD corruption scandal or any other cases of government corruption. Bujanda essentially admitted he will run interference when he said to KOB 4 “… I want to continue to do that collaboration we have, not only with the FBI, but any entity that is looking to see what we’re doing inside or internally.”
Raul Bujanda told KOB he understood his primary duties will be “community contact and outreach” which reflects a gross misunderstanding of what his responsibilities should be. A Public Safety Director implies a position that oversees the management and operation of departments, including setting forth objectives, policies and procedures and being involved with personnel matters.
The nine member Albuquerque City Council will ultimately decide to approve or reject the appointment of Raul Bujanda as Public Safety Executive Director. The 9 member Albuquerque City Council need to ask the tough questions during his confirmation hearing, and not merely be a rubber stamp for confirmation to appease Mayor Keller. The City Council has the obligation to determine if the position of Public Safety Executive Director is really needed. More importantly, the City Council must decide and Raul Bujanda is up to the task of performing the job duties of a job that pays $187,000 a year. ‘
There is not need for a public relations flack for Mayor Tim Keller and the council should vote NO and reject the appointment.
The link to a related article is here: