ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The city of Albuquerque has been ordered to pay more than $1 million in damages after a jury found that seven Albuquerque Police Department training officers were retaliated against for reporting misconduct involving a cadet with family ties to department leadership, KRQE reported.
Each of the officers was awarded $155,000 in emotional damages by a Bernalillo County jury following a trial that centered on claims of nepotism and improper discipline, according to the report. The case involved Cadet Joshua Vega, son of a high-ranking APD deputy chief, who was accused of being untruthful with academy staff in 2023.
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The officers reported that Vega lied about shaving his head, a requirement under academy rules. He was initially dismissed from the academy but reinstated a day later. The lawsuit claimed that the decision followed a phone call from his father to Police Chief Harold Medina.
Soon after, the seven officers, six instructors and their sergeant, were removed from their academy positions and investigated for allegedly hazing Vega. Their attorney, Shayne Huffman, said the accusations stemmed from a longstanding practice known as a “smoke session,” where cadets are required to perform physical training while a violation is addressed. Huffman said Vega was asked to shave his head in front of the class as part of that process.
An internal investigation later found no evidence of hazing. The officers, however, were not returned to their original roles, according to the report.
Huffman called the verdict unprecedented and said it sends a message about the importance of protecting employees who report misconduct.
“We should encourage and incentivize people to have the courage to come forward,” he said.
All seven officers remain employed with APD, as does Vega and his father.
In a statement, the city of Albuquerque said it would appeal the verdict and defended the investigation into the training staff’s conduct as appropriate.
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