ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) Albuquerque Police Chief Gorden Eden is forbidding his employees from meeting with the U.S. Department of Justice without his permission. The Albuquerque Journal reports that Eden sent a text message to all employees on Monday. The text message, obtained by the Journal, says officers have been meeting with the DOJ for various reasons and that those meetings should stop immediately. A dozen or more such unofficial meetings have been held.
Albuquerque police spokeswoman Janet Blair said Eden and his command staff have created a protocol to ensure all communications to the DOJ come from those in the negotiations, including the chief.
The DOJ is expected to issue a draft agreement this week laying a blueprint for police reforms aimed at overhauling how police uses force and holds officers accountable.
