Resources, City Spotlights Albuquerque (NM)

City Spotlight: Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States

One of the oldest colonial cities in the United States, Albuquerque has a rich multicultural history and heritage, from Native American to Spanish and Mexican. Founded in 1706 by the local Spanish governor, Albuquerque is now the largest city in the state of New Mexico, serving as the county seat for Bernalillo County. With a population of over 560,000 people, Albuquerque is a ‘majority minority’ city, with nearly 50% of residents identifying as Hispanic or Latino. The City’s One Albuquerque Initiative aims to reduce crime, boost support for local small businesses, tackle the issue of unhoused residents, ensure that young people are both safe and engaged and create a sustainable city for current and future generations.

Albuquerque became a member of the Strong Cities Network in March 2024 after joining a two-year pilot initiative to develop multi-actor frameworks in small and mid-sized US cities to address hate and targeted violence. It has been an actively engaged in the Network since then. Senior city leaders have participated in a number of Strong Cities in-person and virtual activities.

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What is the local government concerned about?

Although official hate crime statistics remain low, recent trends over the last few years reflect a rise in antisemitic, anti-immigrant and anti-government activity. According to the Anti-Defamation League, Albuquerque recorded 17 antisemitic incidents and one anti-LGBTQ+ incident between 2023 and 2024. Over the course of nine months between 2021 and 2022, four Muslim men were killed in a series of targeted attacks, and in 2023, a man was arrested for drive-by shootings at the homes of four local elected officials. Meanwhile, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, violent extremist groups have been active locally, with instances of propaganda flyering, banner drops and vandalism. Online platforms exacerbate these issues, serving as hubs for recruitment and spreading false and misleading narratives targeting marginalised communities and elected officials, and undermining trust in government.

Beyond hate and extremism, community violence and violent crime are a persistent concern for city authorities. According to the BBC, Albuquerque is the ninth most violent city in the United States, with the homicide rate rising nearly 20% between 2019 and 2023 (a phenomenon seen in many cities during and in the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic). In September 2023, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham declared gun violence a ‘public health emergency’ following the murder of an 11-year-old boy in Albuquerque. A report from the New Mexico legislature cited too few prosecutions of felony crimes, a sharp rise in gun violence since the coronavirus pandemic, and a surge in drug use that correlates with an escalation in property crimes as the major causes. Violent crime among youth is a particular concern, with rates at their highest in the last four years. According to Albuquerque Police Department (APD) homicide data, 43% of the homicide suspects are between the ages of 18-25. According to the APD, the surge in juvenile crime can be traced to the influence of social media, where young people can coordinate criminal activity, inspire others with their actions and gain easy access to illegal material and weapons.

How is the local government responding?

In recent years, the City of Albuquerque has established offices and departments that directly address issues regarding hate, extremism, polarisation and the underlying conditions that lead to instances of targeted and community violence, from behavioural health crises to adverse childhood experiences.

Community Outreach

The Mayor’s Office has an active community outreach component, which is leading the City’s efforts when it comes to condemning hateful acts targeting vulnerable communities. Formerly known as the Human Rights Office, the OEI office features an Office of Black Community Engagement, an Office of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs (OIRA) and an Office of Native American Affairs. In 2024, the team added an Office of Asian, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian Affairs.

Together, these offices highlight the needs of underserved communities and provide information around their rights, resources and opportunities and shape city policy accordingly. For instance, OIRA connects communities with essential resources, including healthcare, legal assistance, education and workforce development. Through strong partnerships with local organisations, government agencies and community leaders, OIRA works to remove barriers and create social and economic opportunities. By advocating for policies that promote advancement and integration, OIRA plays a vital role in ensuring immigrants and refugees can thrive and contribute to the city’s diverse and vibrant community.

Ambassador’s Program

Relatedly, the APD’s Ambassador Program, launched in 2020, is designed to facilitate clear, consistent lines of communication with different community groups that had not previously had a voice with the police. The APD has ambassadors to the faith community, LGBTQ+ community, Hispanic community, refugee community, Native American community, Asian and Pacific Islander communities, African American community, veterans, senior citizens, youth and those with disabilities. The goal of the APD Ambassadors programme is to build trust with all residents and communities to ensure their concerns are addressed and to enhance public safety.

Anti-Hate Initiatives

Together, the City has undertaken a variety of initiatives to prevent and respond to issues of hate and other threats to social cohesion in the Albuquerque community:

It launched a hate crimes webpage with flyers and information in multiple languages in how to identify and report hate crimes, including a training toolkit, Hate Crimes 101: Responding to Hate and Supporting Targeted Communities;
In 2018 and 2021, the City offered training on hate crime prevention and response, facilitated and organised by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission;
After the four murders of Muslims in Albuquerque in 2023, the community needed safe spaces to have a dialogue on how to address the situation and learn about the resources available related to safety. The City hosted a Protecting Places of Worship Forum in coordination with relevant federal partners and APD Ambassadors. The goals of the programme were to educate communities on hate crime prevention and response; provide communities with best practices and resources on how to secure places of worship; respond in active shooter situations; and improve relations between government agencies and faith leaders in the community. The programme included Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, Christian and other faith leaders.
Later in 2023, the City organised a webinar on Identifying, Reporting and Preventing Acts of Hate in 2023 as part of the United States Department of Justice’s United Against Hate initiative launched with the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM). The following year, during United Against Hate Week, the City held two more webinars, one on Understanding and Preventing Antisemitism through Education and Dialogue, and the other on Understanding and Preventing Islamophobia Through Education and Dialogue.
In 2025, OIRA organised a series of Know Your Rights webinars for residents, faith leaders and small business owners, which included a focus on community care and safety.

Albuquerque Community Safety

With regard to addressing and preventing violence itself, in 2020 the City launched Albuquerque Community Safety (ACS) in the wake of the protests related to the death of George Floyd. It was the first city cabinet-level alternative first response department in the United States, established on the principle of ‘the right response at the right time’ and responsible for taking emergency service calls that don’t require police or fire, reducing strain on traditional responders. Instead, ACS focuses on ‘behavioural health first response,’ addressing behavioural health crises, suicidal ideation, disturbances, welfare checks, wellness checks and care for unsheltered individuals. In its response to such calls, an ACS responder may de-escalate any immediate crisis (mental health issue, conflict between people, etc.); assess the underlying needs causing the current issue; address those needs that can be solved in the moment; connect neighbours to community-based care through a referral or by directly transportation to provider/shelter; and/or collaborate with City departments that could support the individual in crisis.

Every ACS response is tailored to the situation’s unique circumstances, with different responder types available based on the nature of the call. All responders complete the ACS Academy, a foundational training programme that equips them with the skills to de-escalate crises, provide support and connect people to resources. Callers do not need to worry about choosing the right responder; 9-1-1 dispatch will ensure the appropriate team is sent. Those responders include:

Behavioural Health Responders (BHRs), who respond to behavioural health crises, chronic mental illness and situations that need de-escalation or mediation and connect people to services.
Community Responders (CRs) handle lower-level wellness checks, support for unsheltered individuals and concerns that need resource navigation but not advanced behavioural health expertise.
Street Outreach Responders (SORs) respond to calls involving unsheltered individuals and encampments, connecting people with resources and supporting them in finding stable housing and services. These are experienced professionals with expertise in homelessness outreach and resource navigation who focus on building trust and providing long-term solutions for unsheltered individuals.
Mobile Crisis Team (MCT) Clinicians co-respond with police to handle high-risk behavioural health crises that require both clinical expertise and law enforcement support. These are independently licensed mental health professionals with extensive crisis intervention training who partner with APD Enhanced Crisis Intervention Team (E-CIT) officers for safety and support.
Triage Specialists work with 9-1-1 operators and police dispatchers to identify calls that can be routed to ACS. They are experts in identifying the right team for each situation, ensuring effective and efficient response and are trained through the ACS Academy and modified dispatcher training to fully understand ACS responder capabilities and support 9-1-1 operations effectively.

ACS’s Violence Prevention & Intervention Division (VPI) focuses on a range of specialised programmes to support individuals and families experiencing challenges such as addiction, domestic violence, gun violence and youth violence. The Violence Intervention Program (VIP), also launched in 2020, works directly with individuals at the highest risk of perpetrating or becoming victims of violence in ordtont intergenerational cycles of violence in Albuquerque. The programme engages participants to prevent retaliation, promote safety and disrupt cycles of violence. The VIP practice model includes the following components:

Data & analysis of violent crimes and trends, including shooting reviews and identifying targeted populations;
Mediation & trauma recovery intervention, working with victims, offenders and their families to intervene in the cycle of violence and retaliation;
Focused deterrence, or narrowly-focused law enforcement and criminal justice actions targeting those at highest risk for committing violence or being victimised as such;
Relationship-based social services support for high-risk individuals, including case management and community-based organisational support; and
In-group direct communication with high-risk individuals, including custom notifications and group call-ins with law enforcement.

Related programmes include a Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program (HVIP), where ACS partners with hospitals to provide trauma-informed care, safety planning and long-term support for victims of violent injury to reduce the possibility of retaliation and recurring violence while connecting them with resources for continued care. It also includes a School-Based Violence Intervention Program (SBVIP), which helps address the root causes of violence in schools through mentorship and intervention with at-risk youth. Full-time specialists at each participating school support students and families by navigating challenges and fostering long-term success. Relatedly, APD has also hosted webinars for parents and caregivers on the risks and concerning trends in young people’s use of social media and how it facilitates dangerous activity both off- and online.

Lastly, when tragedy does occur, ACS also features a Community-Oriented Response & Assistance (CORA), which supports community healing after traumatic events, helping victims of crime, abuse, or trafficking access resources and regain stability.

What’s next?

As part of its ongoing engagement with Strong Cities, Albuquerque is in the process of developing and implementing a ‘local prevention framework’ to prevent and respond to hate and targeted violence. As part of this process, the multi-actor working group, constituted by the City, has identified several key areas of focus, from creating a collaborative forum for community leaders to meet and work with local government officials to discuss concerns regarding hate, targeted violence and other threats to social cohesion to incorporating prevention objectives into local community violence intervention and school safety programmes and working towards an appropriate provision of social and health services for those at risk of mobilising to violence and those violent offenders reintegrating into the community.

Furthermore, the City has indicated to Strong Cities that it is particularly interested in learning from peers and global good practices through the Network on local prevention policy development and action planning, strategic communication campaigns (including counter / alternative narratives), digital literacy, youth engagement and interfaith dialogue. Engaging with the Strong Cities Network allows Albuquerque to leverage global expertise and resources to innovate and adapt strategies in these areas, thus improving the lives of all of their residents.

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City Spotlight: Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States

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