We are currently in contract negotiations with ACS and the City of Albuquerque, please check back here for updates!
We are honored and excited to welcome Albuquerque Community Safety (ACS) to CWA Local 7076! ACS will be our newest bargaining unit, they are part of the City of Albuquerque’s public safety response system. Their team responds to 911 calls for mental health, substance use, and homelessness issues. They offer professional behavioral health services and de-escalate crises involving individuals who are experiencing mental health emergencies and link them to appropriate services in the community.
ACS began as a community-led initiative. Today, they are a cabinet-level department and the third branch (along with police and fire) of First Responders who are dedicated to transforming Albuquerque’s approach to public safety. Their work has garnered national and international press coverage:
- Justice Department Announces Major Milestones Achieved in Policing Reform Efforts for the City of Albuquerque and Albuquerque Police Department
U.S. Department of Justice · April 12, 2023 - New Mexico is training civilians to answer mental health calls. Will it reduce tragedies?
The Guardian · March 27, 2023 - Sending Help Instead of the Police in Albuquerque
The New Yorker · February 4, 2023 - Albuquerque built non-police 911 response fast – why can’t Seattle?
The Seattle Times · December 16, 2022 - Why Albuquerque’s latest experiment in policing doesn’t involve officers
Star Tribune · February 22, 2022 - New Safety Teams in Albuquerque Offer Aid, Not Handcuffs
U.S. News & World Report · Jan. 16, 2022 - What Happens When Social Workers, Not Armed Officers, Respond To 911 Calls?
1A NPR / WAMU 88.5 · December 8, 2021 - In New Mexico, a bold experiment aims to take police out of the equation for mental health calls
The Washington Post · October 9, 2021