“Gilbert Gallegos Bill” Passes 8-1, City Council Passes Resolution for Better Social Media Policy

Albuquerque –

On November 18, 2024, the Albuquerque City Council held a meeting to discuss and vote on various matters concerning the city. One of the agenda items was R-24-89, a resolution directing the city administration to develop a social media policy ensuring the appropriate use of official city social media accounts. The resolution was proposed by Councilor Renée Grout, who represents District 9.

“It’s important that when we post on the city’s behalf that we remember that we have to take our personal attacks out of it and remember that we are representing the city, and it needs to be respectful. Our comments need to be helpful, they need to be factual, and they need to be thoughtful. And just because somebody says something that is negative or not kind, it doesn’t mean that we have to go back with the same kind of insults,” said City Councilor Renee Grout.

The councilors and the administration of Mayor Tim Keller debated the resolution for only 25 minutes since the counselors were overwhelmingly unanimous that it needed to happen.

“Officers shooting handcuffed people, Officers shooting officers. We have very, very, very big issues going on in our city. You know, I’m just a little bit upset that this bill doesn’t address these issues in a more dynamic fashion. Still, I’m going to support it. But we already know this is the Gilbert Gallegos bill,” said District 1 Councilor Louie Sanchez, a retired APD officer.

Social media conduct by APD Director of Communications Gilbert Gallegos has been a recurring topic for the council for the past two years. Gallegos’ behavior on social media has been addressed during council meetings at least three times, with calls ranging from urging improved conduct to defunding his position entirely. According to the City of Albuquerque’s transparency records, Gallegos is set to earn just over $127,000 this year.

During the debate, District 6 Councilor Nichole Rogers proposed solving the issue definitively by defunding Gallegos’ position completely as a civilian director of APD communications.

“Just a procedural question for our staff: can we defund that position right now?” asked Councilor Rogers.

City Council staff clarified that while removing funding for the $127,000 salary could be done, it would not automatically terminate Gallegos’ employment. He could only be dismissed by APD Police Chief Harold Medina or Chief Administrative Officer Dr. Samantha Sengal.

Dr. Sengal resisted providing specific information about disciplinary actions taken against Gallegos, stating:
“I have said before and here on this microphone that I would not be discussing personnel and discipline matters publicly on the record. So, the assumption by this council that nothing has been done regarding these matters is presumptuous, as such issues would not be discussed publicly due to employee rights and appropriate processes.“

It should be noted that ABQ RAW has previously requested records of Gallegos’ disciplinary actions but we have not received them. Since Gallegos is an exempt civilian APD employee, he is not protected by the collective bargaining agreement concerning discipline. APD Police Chief Harold Medina has stated at a prior City Council meeting that Gallegos no longer has access to Twitter.

In 2021, Charles Arasim, a long time watchdog of police department shenanigans, received notice his Civilian Police Oversight complaint against Gallegos was sustained and the CPOA found that Gallegos did violate policies within APD. It was unclear if Gallegos was ever disciplined.

District 8 Councilor and retired APD officer Dan Champine asked the administration detailed questions about the violation consequences of the City of Albuquerque’s social media policies. His questioning highlighted that Gallegos has already violated both APD and CABQ policies and nothing has ever been done.

Ultimately, the council voted on the resolution, passing it 8–1. District 7 Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn cast the sole dissenting vote.

The resolution now heads to Mayor Tim Keller’s desk for approval. If the mayor vetoes it, the council is expected to override the veto with a majority vote. Once approved, the resolution will require the Keller administration to develop social media policies for council review and approval.

Since the infamous “Labor Day Twitter Tirade,” Gallegos has been handcuffed from posting on Twitter. However, ABQ RAW received a scathing email direct from Gallegos following a recent APD officer-involved shooting that left one suspect dead and three bystanders injured. He called into question our accuracy of the story in a six paragraph tirade. We have not heard from Gallegos’ other nemesis if they have received emails critical of their social media and public comments.

This issue remains ongoing for now, and ABQ RAW staff will continue to monitor how the City Council addresses potential defunding of Gallegos’ position.