ADVERTISEMENTSkip

................................................................

But after 90 minutes of testimony and debate, they voted 6-3 in favor of the contract for Greenwood. That will allow him to bill up to $220,000 – more money will require another council vote.

Community outreach approved

Albuquerque city councilors approved a plan to launch a community outreach effort to enlist the public in crafting a plan to fix the police department.It will be called the “Albuquerque Collaborative on Police-Community Relations.””Our police department has been mortally wounded by the findings of the DOJ, and we need to begin the healing process,” Council President Ken Sanchez said.Opponents questioned whether it would be a meaningful way for people to participate. Albuquerque city councilors approved a plan to launch a community outreach effort to enlist the public in crafting a plan to fix the police department.It will be called the “Albuquerque Collaborative on Police-Community Relations.””Our police department has been mortally wounded by the findings of the DOJ, and we need to begin the healing process,” Council President Ken Sanchez said.Opponents questioned whether it would be a meaningful way for people to participate. Councilor Rey Garduño said he was concerned the community would be “relegated to these peripheral groups that really have no power whatsoever.” It was approved 8-1, with Garduño in dissent.

“These reforms are not cheap,” Council President Ken Sanchez, who voted in support. “We need an attorney at the table who understands these issues.”

The approval came after a bruising debate over how Mayor Richard Berry’s administration selected Greenwood for the job and whether he was the right person. Some councilors broached the idea of issuing a request for proposals from other attorneys who would do the work.

“It sounds like you would do a good job,” Councilor Klarissa Peña said to Greenwood. “I just wish we’d had an opportunity to vet other people throughout the nation.”

She joined Councilors Dan Lewis and Rey Garduño in opposition to the contract.

A federal investigation announced this spring found the Albuquerque Police Department has a pattern or practice of using excessive force in violation of people’s constitutional rights. The Department of Justice and city are now in talks to craft a binding agreement outlining a series of reforms within the police department.

Greenwood is serving as Albuquerque’s chief negotiator. He already had a $70,000 contract, which was used up for work he did in April and May, City Attorney David Tourek said.

Tourek also said a staff report sent to councilors included incorrect information. Greenwood is being paid for work through June next year, not just the end of this month.

Monday’s council action authorizes an additional $150,000, or up to $220,000 total.

Tourek, under questioning from the council, said the total bill could hit $500,000. That’s based on information submitted by Greenwood, Tourek said.

There was no request for proposals, he said. The city needed to act quickly to ensure it had someone with expertise to handle negotiations quickly, Tourek said.

“I think we have the right person,” Tourek said of Greenwood.

Greenwood told councilors last month that he initially heard from Albuquerque’s police chief about a year and half ago when the Department of Justice first announced it was reviewing the city’s police force. Then Mayor Berry called him this spring.

Greenwood is a civil rights attorney from Cincinnati, Ohio, where he sued the city’s police department. The department there ended up facing a federal investigation.

Tourek said he talked to the federal judge who presided over the case and others who said Greenwood would be an asset to Albuquerque as the city goes through a similar process.

Greenwood put it this way: “What I bring is the experience of having done it right, but also the knowledge and humility” of what mistakes to avoid.

Greenwood now works with Tom Streicher, the ex-police chief in Cincinnati who was once his adversary. Streicher will also work in Albuquerque, Greenwood said.

Several people also signed up to address the City Council and questioned whether Greenwood was the right choice. Some said he had a relationship with Taser International – a company that provides equipment to APD. He has been quoted as praising the proper use of Taser devices.

Federal investigators criticized Albuquerque’s use of Tasers in their recent report.

Greenwood told councilors that he has never represented Taser International.

“I am not employed by Taser, and I do not do work for Taser,” he said. “I have never received a personal nickel from Taser.”