Since 2010, Albuquerque police officers have been involved in dozens of shootings, many of them fatal. Millions of dollars in taxpayer money has been paid out by verdict and by settlement in civil lawsuits.
A Department of Justice report released in April detailed a troubled and complex relationship between police officers, public officials, and residents of Albuquerque, particularly those facing a mental illness.
The report (embedded below) described the problem as “a culture of aggression” and noted that leadership had failed to provide proper civilian / internal oversight, and training. The result: Albuquerque police officers too often use deadly force or near-deadly force inappropriately.
We believe that access to public records and a serious look at each shooting is needed to reduce sensationalism around
the topic, and encourage all stakeholders (including
policymakers and law enforcement) to examine the “culture of
aggression” outlined by the DOJ.
OUR PROJECT:
One of the most troubling issues suggested by the DOJ report is a lack of transparency.
Police and city officials have been evasive and at times outright refused to provide information requested by city councilors/policymakers, journalists, and Albuquerque residents - including the families of those fatally shot by police officers.
In part because of this lack of transparency, local, national and international news outlets have frequently focused on the most sensational aspects of the James Boyd case and other shootings. Media outlets have also been quick to draw conclusions that mischaracterize police, policymakers, shooting victims and their families, and Albuquerque's community at large.
The New Mexico Compass requested and received public records
related to over two dozen of the shootings from 2010 - present,
including officers’ lapel cam footage and belt-tape audio recordings,
along with witness interviews, reports and other materials.
We will use funds raised via this campaign to:
a) Create a searchable, interactive database of public records around each fatal shooting (taking cues from models like ProPublica’s Dollars for Docs project, as well as the ChicagoCrime and Homicide Watch projects).
Members of the community, policy makers, and local, regional and national journalists will be able to examine public records related to each specific shooting. Anyone is also welcome to suggest or contribute additional public records they have access to or are aware of.
b) Develop, report, and present comprehensive stories surrounding the fatal shooting cases we received public records for.
c) Provide a small stipend (around 25 percent of the total project cost) for our full time staff while we begin the process of raising a comprehensive operating budget.
We believe this project will provide a model for transparency in data and storytelling, and we hope it will encourage other journalists and organizations to answer questions like these:
“How does the public perceive journalism?”
“How can journalists evolve to improve the level of public trust in the press?”
“What does a more active, transparent and open-source flow of communication between the public and the press look like?”
ABOUT US
Editor in Chief Marisa Demarco has been a journalist for more than a decade and a musician all her life. A native New Mexican, she is co-founder of the New Mexico Compass, and works at KUNM News producing radio reports on 89.9 FM. Demarco has worked at the Weekly Alibi, the Albuquerque Tribune and the Daily Lobo.
Managing Editor Margaret Wright is a writer, editor, occasional photographer and proud New Mexican. Before diving into journalism full time, she taught refugee youth and immigrant adults, supervised a federally funded nonprofit program, and provided therapeutic case management for at-risk families. She is co-founder of the
New Mexico Compass and former managing editor of Albuquerque’s alternative newsweekly, the
Alibi.
Deputy Director Joe Cardillo joined the New Mexico Compass after six years of operations, product, and marketing experience in both legacy and startup environments. He’s passionate about data, design, open access, rocanroll, anything science-y and thinking about how to become a better human.
ABOUT THE NEW MEXICO COMPASS
The New Mexico Compass is a nonprofit startup dedicated to transparent, open-access journalism.
Combined with the educational efforts of its parent organization, the New Mexico Journalism Collaborative, the Compass strives to be a model for reporting that strengthens the community and contributes to a healthy journalism ecosystem.
All content at the New Mexico Compass adheres to the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics. Editors follow the Associated Press Stylebook.
Our editorial process and output maintain a strict firewall against outside influences, particularly from funding sources. The Compass is also committed to organizational transparency. Complete financial reports are publicly accessible on our website.
OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP
Media are welcome to contact us directly to request an interview with our managing editor and editor-in-chief regarding the project, police use of force in Albuquerque in general, and/or transparency, public records and FOIA issues.
CHALLENGES & FAQs
Are any of the materials (videos, photos, etc.) graphic? How will you be presenting those?
In general, we will be providing as much of the primary source material as possible.
In some cases we may choose to detail the contents of a
record without presenting the full file. We may also take action to protect the privacy of a victim and their family, including blurring video and/or obscuring audio
when sensitive / identifying information appears.
Clear and relevant trigger warnings on our site regarding the contents of each
record will also be present so members of the public are aware of what to expect when making the decision to view or not view the record.
We are also talking with the families of each shooting victim to explain the project and respond to concerns they might have about the materials.
Can I donate anonymously to the project?
Yes, absolutely. We understand that some people may choose to support the project anonymously. We will still deliver the rewards for each level of funding as appropriate.
What do you hope this project will achieve?
Our goal is for the project to provide a transparent look at some of the issues around use of force. We hope it will help foster a more productive, thoughtful conversation by all stakeholders about how and why excessive use of force occurs.
We also believe that by building the interactive database and reporting project in a transparent way, other journalism startups and local/regional news orgs will be able to use it as a model for their own efforts around this and similar topics. This will be an open source project, and we'll be providing access so that news orgs / developers can use the model.