Did New Mexico Police Violate Your Civil Rights?
The attorneys of McGinn, Montoya, Love & Curry. P.A. (MMLC) stand up for the victims of police misconduct and civil rights violations across New Mexico.
A police department is required to protect its citizens, not put them in danger. In order to protect innocent and vulnerable citizens as well as police officers themselves, police departments must have systems in place that ensure their officers have the proper training and tools at their disposal to make encounters with citizens as safe as possible. When police officers and police departments hurt or kill the very people they are sworn to serve and protect, we will demand accountability and change.
We are available to handle cases involving:
- Police shootings and brutality
- Wrongful convictions and arrests
- Unlawful search and seizure
- Falsified evidence and witness tampering
- Racial profiling
- Unsafe, dangerous high-speed chases
- Other types of police misconduct
As national leaders in personal injury and consumer protection law, the lawyers of MMLC are ideally equipped to help you exercise your civil liberties and combat injustice. We will be glad to speak with you regarding a possible claim against law enforcement. Schedule a free consultation by calling our Albuquerque office at 505-633-8796 or by contacting our attorneys online.
Se habla español
Harper V. The Albuquerque Police Department, U.S. District Court For New Mexico, cause no. CIV 96-1048 (1996).
The APD SWAT team was called to respond to a family’s call for help with their suicidal loved one, who had walked into a wilderness area at night. After two hours in the cold, Larry Harper decided not to commit suicide. He was walking back to his truck in the dark when he was “lit up” by the SWAT team, then chased through the darkness by nine black-clad and camouflaged officers and two police dogs.
Mr. Harper was shot to death while hiding behind a tree and shouting that he had done nothing wrong. In addition to a monetary settlement, APD agreed to make 10 substantive changes in their policies and procedures, including reorganization of the SWAT team, tape-recording encounters with suicidal citizens, fingerprinting all weapons at the scene, and providing information and counseling to the families of citizens who are shot by the police.
Jojola V. APD (Case Settled Before Suit Was Filed).
On Jan. 27, 2000, Manoa Jojola, a gifted high school senior, was killed when city police chased a car 90 miles an hour down the interstate. After leaving the interstate, the car ran a stoplight and T-boned Manoa’s truck. The chase began without any evidence that the fleeing car’s occupants had committed any crime.
As part of our settlement agreement, the Albuquerque Police Department agreed to immediately investigate all future high-speed chases and to allow Manoa’s parents to participate in the creation of a police-training video to inform officers-in-training about the devastating effects of making a fatal and wrongful decision to engage in a high-speed pursuit on busy Albuquerque streets without cause. Manoa’s incredible parents fought for legislation to help prevent this from happening in the future.