A growing number of Albuquerque residents, including several UNM students, have filed complaints with the Albuquerque Police Department's Oversight Commission regarding tactics used by officers at a March 20 anti-war demonstration near campus.
Independent Review Officer Jay Rowland, who has received five complaints about the police officer's actions at the protest that day, said his department plans on thoroughly investigating each complaint to determine if APD violated any laws.
"These complaints will receive our highest priority, as we want to determine as quickly as possible exactly what occurred on March 20, so that we can publish our findings and our recommendations for any action against the police department," Rowland said.
He added that he expects to receive more complaints this week.
"However, under city ordinance, the chief of police has the final say on what, if any, action is taken against the individual officers or the department itself," Rowland said.
Michael Kisner, a junior majoring in philosophy who was arrested and charged with public nuisance during the demonstration that drew hundreds, said he believes the point of APD resorting to such strong tactics was to deter future demonstrations.
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"The actions of the police that night was not warranted," said Kisner, who was one of more than a dozen protesters arrested. "The crowd was in no way hostile toward the police. If the point of their strong-arming the crowd was to suppress future demonstrations, it worked, because many people are now afraid to openly voice their opinions."
Det. Jeff Arbogast, APD spokesman, said the people who are complaining about the force used that night only saw a small portion of what was going on and that officers were involved in a very hostile, dangerous situation and resorted to using pepper spray on the crowd as a last resort.
"With any protest, there are always those people who try to incite the crowd to become unruly," Arbogast said.
He added that the police trying to control the event were pelted with bottles, rocks and an explosive device.
"The use of chemical agents were used as a last resort to force compliance with the request to leave the street so that traffic would not be impeded," he said.
Arbogast said that APD believes the level of force used that night to control the crowd was warranted and that it stands behind the officers who were there to preserve the safety of everyone involved.
Larry Kronen, a local attorney and member of the National Lawyers Guild, which is preparing a civil suit against APD for tactics used on March 20, said the strong police presence adds to the mistrust of the police.
"I believe that there was excessive force used that night to control what was for the most part a very peaceful crowd," Kronen said. "The tactics used were unnecessary and endangered the safety of not only the protesters but the innocent bystanders at the event."
Arbogast said APD realizes that citizens have the right to voice their opinions, and the department stands behind that right 100 percent but it doesn't, however, stand behind breaking the law to do that.
"It is unfortunate that the police are made out to be the bad guy," Arbogast said. "We have an important job to do and together with the help of Albuquerque citizens we can ensure that the right to voice our opinions carried out safely and effectively."
