WEATHER CONDITIONS ON OUR FREE KOAT APP ALBUQUERQUE POLICE ARE JUST MONTHS AWAY FROM DISBANDING THEIR OPEN SPACE DIVISION. THEY SAY IT’S TO HELP EMERGENCY RESPONSE TIMES, BUT TARGET 7 SPOKE WITH A RETIRED OFFICER WHO DOESN’T BELIEVE IT’S GOING TO DO THAT. HERE’S ANGEL SAUCEDO. I GREW UP HERE IN THIS BAFFSKY OUT IN THE MESA AND JUST ENJOYING IT. ANTHONY MARTINEZ IS A RETIRED OPEN SPACE DIVISION OFFICER FOR ALBUQUERQUE POLICE. I’VE SPENT 15 YEARS OUT HERE BY THE RIVER PATROLLING AND MAKING A DIFFERENCE. THE OFFICERS IN THIS UNIT DO EVERYTHING FROM WATER RESCUES TO HOMELESS CAMP, CLEAN OUTS READY TO CAN THEY EVEN HELP FIGHT FIRES? THROUGHOUT OUR BOESKY? IT’S JUST A DIFFERENT KIND OF PATROL. YOU KNOW, THESE ARE OUR STREETS NOW. ONE OF THOSE FIRES DESTROYED 30 ACRES JUST THIS PAST MAY. WE WERE DRIVING AROUND IN A HOVERCRAFT THAT DAY. WE GOT A WHIFF OF SOME SMOKE. MARTINEZ IN THE OPEN SPACE, OFFICERS WERE THE FIRST ONES TO SPOT IT. WE COULD SEE A VERY SMALL AMOUNT OF SMOKE COMING FROM THIS AREA HERE. SO WE CALLED IT IN RIGHT AWAY TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. YOU COULD JUST IMAGINE THAT ON THE DELAY OF NOT BEING ABLE TO GET ANYBODY HERE OR SPOT THAT FIRE. WHO KNOWS WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED AND HOW FAR THIS THING COULD HAVE GONE? THE DIVISION HAS FIVE DIFFERENT OFFICERS THAT COVER AROUND 30,000 ACRES OF LAND THROUGHOUT BERNALILLO COUNTY, INCLUDING HERE IN THE BOSQUE IN NEAR ALAMEDA BOULEVARD. EVEN DOWN HERE, CLOSE TO THE IS LIT UP PUEBLO. BUT THESE OPEN SPACES AND OUR BOSS GAME MAY NOT HAVE OPEN SPACE DIVISION OFFICERS NEXT YEAR. AND THIS IS THE FIRST STEP IN US EVALUATING WHERE WE CAN GET A BETTER RETURN FOR OUR INVESTMENT. ALBUQUERQUE POLICE PLAN TO DISSOLVE THE DIVISION NEXT JANUARY. NOW CHIEF HAROLD MEDINA SAYS IT’S TO HELP FIGHT A SHORTAGE IN FIELD OFFICERS. WE ARE SHORT. WE’RE LIKE EVERY OTHER INDUSTRY. THE DEPRTMENT CURRENTLY HAS 860 OFFICERS. NOW TO PUT THAT NUMBER IN PERSPECTIVE, WHEN MAYOR TIM KELLER FIRST TOOK OVER IN 2017, HE PROMISED TO GROW IT TO 1200 OFFICERS. EVERY CITY COUNCIL MEETING, IT SEEMS SOMEBODY IS ASKING ABOUT HOW LONG CALLS ARE HOLDING. THIS IS A WAY TO START CARVING OUT RESOURCE BACK TO SWORN ACTIVITIES AND THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX TO GET SOME OF THESE OTHER FUNCTIONS WE’RE DOING. MEDINA BELIEVES THIS WILL HELP CUT EMERGENCY RESPONSE TIMES. THE STATE HAS AN ENTITY WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY THAT HANDLES SEARCH AND RESCUE CALLS. AND I DON’T BELIEVE WE NECESSARILY NEED A BADGE AND A GUN TO CONDUCT SEARCH AND RESCUE AND OPEN SPACE MAY NOT BE THE ONLY DIVISION ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK. DO I THINK IT’S THE RIGHT DECISION? NO. JUST TO KNOW THAT IT’S WE’RE NOT GOING TO BE HERE ANYMORE AS IT’S PRETTY SAD. A LOT OF ANGER. KNOWING THAT YOU DID ALL THAT WORK FOR NOTHING, I GUESS IS KIND OF WHAT IT FELT LIKE FOR TARGET 7. I’M ANGEL SAUCEDO, APD SAYS IN THE LAST 90 DAYS, 29 REPORTS HAVE BEEN FILED BY FOUR OF THE FIVE OPEN SPACE OFFICERS. MADINA ADDS THEY WILL TRAIN UP TO A DOZEN OFFICER