CHANGES BEING MADE AT THE ALBUQUERQUE POLICE DEPARTMENT UNDER ITS NEW CHIEF, MIKE GEIER. HE WAS FIRST NAMED INTERIM CHIEF, THEN BEAT THE COMPETITION AFTER A NATIONAL SEARCH AND WAS HIRED TWO WEEKS AGO TO DO THE JOB PERMANENTLY.
GEIER SAYS THEY’RE WORKING ON JUSTICE DEPARTMENT REFORMS … CONNECTING MORE WITH THE COMMUNITY … AND GIVING OFFICERS A MAJOR PAY RAISE ON AUGUST FIRST. THE DEAL WAS AGREED TO BY THE CITY AND THE POLICE UNION. GEIER SAYS THEY’RE ALLOWING RETIRED COPS TO RETURN TO APD, SUSPEND THEIR PENSION AND WORK A FEW MORE YEARS. AND APD RETIREES AREN’T THE ONLY PEOPLE INTERESTED. THERE ARE CADETS ALREADY IN CLASS AND OTHERS INDICATING TO APD THAT THEY WANT TO BE HIRED THERE.
GEIER SAYS SINCE HE’S TAKEN THE HELM AT APD, HE’S SEEN A BUMP IN MORALE AMONG OFFICERS, ESPECIALLY WITH THE RAISES AND THE FACT THAT APD HAS STREAMLINED RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE DEPARTMENT’S DEPUTY CHIEFS.
