Report: Albuquerque police failed in use-of-force reviews

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - A federal court monitor's report says the Albuquerque Police Department has struggled to adequately review use-of-force cases, while the SWAT units are doing a better job of de-escalating standoffs and other high-stress situations.

Court-appointed monitor James Ginger delivered the assessment in his latest report for a federal judge. Ginger is tasked with tracking reforms mandated in a settlement agreement between the U.S. Justice Department and the Albuquerque Police Department, which came under scrutiny for a high rate of shootings by police between 2010 and 2014.

The police department is one of more than a dozen law enforcement agencies nationwide under a consent decree with the Justice Department.

Ginger's 352-page report filed Friday reviews the police department's reform efforts between December and March.

The Albuquerque city attorney says that since March, all police department supervisors have been trained on a new policy for conducting use-of-force investigations.