ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The Albuquerque Police Department is making changes to get to calls faster. The department has been criticized for years for its response times.

Chief Harold Medina said the department needs to do better, which is why APD started implementing changes at the end of 2022 to cut down response times. He says it’s already working. According to APD the overall response time for last week was down to 47 minutes from an hour and 38 minutes. 

Medina asked deputy chiefs to make sure if a call is holding up to 180 minutes then the area commander is called to make sure things are being handled. The department is also using resources like Albuquerque Community Safety officers to cut down on response times since a-c-s can take care of lower-level calls that don’t require police. 

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Deputy Chief J.J. Greigo also pointed out a change at the dispatch level. All calls will be prioritized and an available officer will be sent to a call no matter which command area they’re based in. “What cross dispatching means is if I have a call in SE and all units tied up and there’s an available unit in valley area command, that unit will be sent to that call after holding for a certain amount of time,” Griego explained. 

With the new dispatch, system officers will also be sent out based on the GPS location of their patrol car. That system is expected to be rolled out in April. 

According to a city audit from October people in the northeast and northwest Albuquerque wait for the longest for an officer to show up. Southeast Albuquerque had the quickest response time, with people waiting less than six minutes for an officer to arrive.