“The allegations put forth in this lawsuit seem to back up what we’ve long suspected: that APD deliberately withholds, destroys, or otherwise obfuscates public records that they fear might make them look bad. If these allegations are true, they represent a serious breach of trust with the people of Albuquerque. APD needs to start following the law by releasing public documents we have a right to access, and give us the fully transparent police department that our community deserves.”
The ACLU of New Mexico currently has a pending lawsuit against APD for illegally withholding public records, including footage of an officer involved shooting, from local citizen journalist collective BurqueMedia. Reynaldo Chavez is named in the ACLU’s lawsuit as records custodian at the time.
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