ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - New Mexico authorities have confirmed reports of 80 homicides in Albuquerque after a body was discovered Monday, breaking the city’s own record earlier this month.
City officials have announced they are working on strategies to decrease the workload on Albuquerque Police Department officers and homicide detectives, KOB-TV reports.
Joe Burke, the department’s commander of criminal investigations, said detectives should be balancing three to five investigations but are dealing with nearly double that. He cited a need for a second homicide unit.
Detectives also are taking on active cases from previous years in addition to the 80 homicides this year.
There has been an ongoing push to hire more officers to tackle the increasing workload, authorities said.
There has been an increase of 20 detectives in specialized units since 2017, Burke said. The homicide unit now includes 10 detectives with one opening and one sergeant, he said.
A certain percentage of graduating cadets from the academy are expected to help increase the staff in the homicide unit, Burke said.
The new class is expected to graduate in the spring.
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