Mayor Eric Enriquez, City of Las Cruces | City of Las Cruces
Mayor Eric Enriquez, City of Las Cruces | City of Las Cruces
Las Cruces City Council received its biannual report from the OIR Group, an independent police auditor, during a work session on February 24, 2025. The audit reviewed cases investigated by the Las Cruces Police Department's (LCPD) Internal Affairs section between July 1 and December 31, 2024.
Representatives Teresa Mangula and Stephen Connolly presented the findings. The OIR Group assessed whether investigations were complete, objective, and thorough. They also evaluated if actions taken in response to internal investigations were appropriate.
The review included 20 cases from the six-month period. Of these, three were external complaints from the public related to dissatisfaction with service calls. The remaining 17 cases were internal investigations initiated by LCPD personnel. These involved issues such as improper use of a Taser, responses to mental health crisis calls, and officer misconduct.
The investigation outcomes showed that out of 88 allegations of policy or procedure violations:
- 63 were sustained
- 17 exonerated
- 2 unfounded
- 6 not sustained
Corrective actions for sustained allegations included remediation, additional training, discipline, or termination.
The OIR Group commended LCPD for timely completion of investigations and found no evidence of racial targeting among complainants over five years. "The overall impression by the OIR Group is that LCPD is doing an excellent job identifying potential violations and investigating complaints," they stated.
In addition to presenting their findings to the City Council, Mangula and Connolly held a community meeting at Munson Senior Center to discuss the report and gather feedback.
Las Cruces contracted with the OIR Group in 2021 for auditing purposes. This was their seventh presentation to the City Council. Residents can file complaints against LCPD online or directly with OIR at [email protected].
The full meeting is available on the City's YouTube Channel. The next regular council meeting is scheduled for March 3, 2025.
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