$100,000 City Contract Awarded to Find Next Police Chief

Albuquerque –

Mayor Tim Keller announced today that the city is actively searching for the next Chief of Police for the Albuquerque Police Department.

The city confirmed that they have already started taking applications for the position. City leaders also hired an outside firm, Public Sector Search & Consulting, Inc., to assist with the recruitment and selection process.

“We are in a very different environment now that we completed our reform efforts with the Department of Justice; our crime-fighting strategies are working, and we are attracting more officers,” Mayor Tim Keller said. “We also know the community is still concerned about safety. We have an opportunity to choose a police chief who will rise to meet today’s challenges, like the proliferation of Fentanyl and long-standing cracks in the criminal justice system.”

The city will announce a schedule for community input sessions where residents, advocates, organizations and businesses can identify the leadership qualities, experience and priorities desired in the next Chief of Police. A community survey will also be sent out to ensure broad and meaningful input.

Public Sector Search & Consulting, Inc., is a police executive search firm that has supported complex police executive searches for 12 major metropolitan law enforcement agencies, including Oklahoma City, San José, Seattle, Dallas, Chicago, and Minneapolis.

We found the contract details on the City of Albuquerque website transparency portal. The contract agreement was not available on the portal. It does state the firm will be paid a maximum of $100,000 for their part of the search.

In years past, the City of Albuquerque paid firms over $200,000 to find a chief and they always decide to hire within the department.