Albuquerque Police Department Innovation Praised

Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz

The Albuquerque Police Department received international recognition today during a session of the International Chief’s of Police Association conference being held in Denver Colorado.

The force was recognized as a semi-finalist along with 24 other police agencies world-wide for the “Webber Seavey Award.” All 24 departments were picked from an international selection of police departments.

The recognition is for APD's Best Practices in police work, specifically in the area of property crime innovations.

The APD innovation addressed the effectiveness in identifying, investigating and prosecuting property crime offenders through increased “Communication and Partnership with Community and the Criminal Justice System Stake-holders”.

Police Chief Raymond D. Schultz pointed out property crimes can quickly become a violent crime:

It is so tragic and common today that property crimes turn violent so very quickly, that we must combat the start of crimes at it’s roots, being property crimes and before they turn deadly.

Property crimes and retail thefts are intrinsically linked and organized retail crime requires APD to become extremely proactive so that property & retail based theft does not further damage a national crippled economy.

Schultz said, “This program illustrates the need for police to engage Community Partners in deploying proactive crime fighting strategies”.

The APD initiative utilizes such approaches as a, “Top 5” offender identification and concentrated enforcement efforts coordinated monthly by all APD Detectives, and follow-up prosecution with the local District Attorneys Office.

High ranking Police Officials mandatory appearances in all “Top 5” sentencing hearings, and very concise measures taking place in our community relationship, their rolls and involvement.

Albuquerque Mayor Martin J. Chavez said, “A partnership with law enforcement, retail owners, and our prosecutors has increased the identification of serial offenders which results in more successful prosecutions”.

Chavez complimented the hard work and cooperative nature that exist every day between the APD and its community:

It is that very special relationship between APD and our citizens that makes Albuquerque one of the finest Cities in the nation to call home for so many families and a destination for so many others seeking this Southwest jewel and the quality of life that exist here in Albuquerque.

Honoring APD's Fallen Heroes

Photos from Friday's Memorial Tribute

Nearly 100 Albuquerque Police Officers honored two of their former colleagues at an annual memorial tribute on Friday morning. APD Chief Ray Schultz says the site is used as a classroom for each Police Academy class just before their graduation.

Officer Richard Smith
The City of Albuquerque will be naming it's 6th area command after police officers Michael King and Richard Smith. The beloved officers, the last two killed in the line of duty in the Duke City, were tragically gunned down on August 18th, 2005 by mental patient John Hyde.

Mayor Martin Chavez says construction on the new $7 million dollar facility, which will be located near Cibola High School, is scheduled to begin early next year and be completed by 2011.

Mayor Chavez tells us the Smith and King made the ultimate sacrafice:

They are heroes of Albuquerque.

Officer Michael King
Officers King and Smith were shot and killed while attempting to take Hyde into custody for a mental health evaluation. They were fired upon immediately upon arriving at the scene. Both officers were transported to the University of New Mexico Hospital where they succumbed to their wounds.

Hyde fled the scene on a motorcycle but was located approximately two hours later. He was injured when the motorcycle crashed as officers attempted to stop him.

Hyde was also charged with two murders that had been committed earlier in the evening at a local motorcycle store at a fifth murder of a New Mexico Department of Transportation worker that had occurred that morning.


Officer Smith had served with the Albuquerque Police Department for 22 years. He is survived by his wife and daughter. Officer King had served with the Albuquerque Police Department for 22 years. He is survived by his wife and two sons.

Hyde is now at a state mental hospital in Las Vegas, New Mexico.

UNM Professor Believes Bone Yard Is The Work of a Serial Killer!

Could there be a serial killer on the loose in Albuquerque?

Police Chief Ray Schultz says it's to early to tell, but yesterday the bones of an 11th victim (who was 4th months pregnant at the time of her death) were unearthed at a crime scene where investigators have been searching for a month.

KRQE TV Anchor Jessica Garate, who won an Emmy in Wyoming for her coverage on the killing of Wyoming Student Matthew Shepard, talked to UNM Professor Dirk Gibson, who has done research on serial killers, believes the grave yard was likely the "dumping ground" for a serial killer.

In this studio interview taped before three more victims were found, Prof. Gibson tells Garate there could be many motives for the killings. He says some serial murderers want bodies to be found, but believe the suspect in these killings probably didn't ever want his victims located.



Chief Schultz says digging at the "city's biggest crime scene" will continue with help from the Federal Bureau of Investigations.