New Mexico has a high rate of civil rights lawsuits being filed. Complaints against the police have risen slightly over the past few years, but compared to peer cities, Albuquerque is slightly better than average.

INDICATORS

• 49.1 Civil Rights Violation Lawsuit Filings
• 49.2 Citizen Complaints against Police per 100,000 Population
• See Goal 7, Indicator 41.1 Voting Age Participation by Election Type
• See Goal 7, Indicator 45.1 Perceived Relations among People of Different Cultures and Racial Backgrounds
• See Goal 7, Indicator 45.2 Income by Racial and Ethnic Background

  LOCAL TREND:

Lawsuits alleging violation of civil rights are usually tried in Federal District Court. The number of civil rights lawsuits filed in New Mexico has steadily decreased since 2001. The number of citizen complaints filed against Albuquerque Police Officers has remained fairly stable over the past three years, but has risen over the past five years.

  NATIONAL/REGIONAL COMPARISON:

In 2007, New Mexico has the highest number of civil rights lawsuits filed per 100,000 population of any of the contiguous Southwest states. New Mexico had three times as many lawsuits filed as did Arizona, Utah or Texas, twice as many as Colorado, and 30% more than Oklahoma when adjusted for population. Compared to peer cities, the number of complaints filed against the police in Albuquerque is slightly better than average.

  CITIZEN PERCEPTION:

Albuquerque citizens rated this Desired Community Condition as being one of the most important, ranking it 13th out of all 51 Desired Conditions. Citizens listed this condition as one in which some progress has been made, but additional work is required. Citizens agreed on both the high relative importance of this condition and the progress which has been made on this condition. This was true without regard to race or ethnicity, income, age, education or the neighborhood in which the citizens lived.

Opportunity to Continue to Improve	LOCAL TREND IS:	Mixed
	ALBUQUERQUE, COMPARED TO OTHERS, IS:	Mixed
	CITIZEN PERCEPTION COMPARED TO DATA:	Matches

NOTE: For help in understanding this page, see Creating a Community Report Card.