Dont ComplyReason reports that Albuquerque paid $950,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by a motorist critically injured in February 2024, when then-Police Chief Harold Medina drove an unmarked police truck through a red light without lights or siren and struck the man's car. Reason reports the man suffered broken ribs, a collapsed lung and other injuries. The department's Fleet Crash Review Board deemed the crash non-preventable, but Internal Affairs Lt. James Ortiz wrote in July 2024 that Medina drove unsafely and failed to activate his body camera as required. Medina reportedly cited spousal privilege and the Fifth Amendment. He received two reprimands. The injured man's lawyer called him an innocent motorist. APD spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said nobody died in the accident or the shooting that preceded it.
Why it matters
According to Reason, an internal investigation found the police chief drove unsafely and violated body camera rules, yet he received reprimands while taxpayers funded a $950,000 settlement through the city's Risk Management Fund.
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