Albuquerque Community Safety Strengthens Operations to Evolve with Albuquerque’s Needs

ALBUQUERQUE – The City of Albuquerque, Albuquerque Community Safety Department, has announced the successful implementation of numerous initiatives over the past year, with each major division seeing improvements.  As part of an overall commitment to providing “the Right Response at the Right Time,” the Department works to optimize operations continuously.  Some of these innovations and developments include:

• Launch of Bilateral Split, Positioning Responders Through the City
• A Record Number in Yearly Transportations and Winter Transportations to Services
• The Launch and Expansion of a Street Outreach Program, Connecting Unsheltered Individuals to Housing
• A Record Low Vacancy Rate for the Department, including Starting the 2^nd Responder Academy of 2026
• The Launch and Expansion of the Youth-Violence Intervention Program (YVIP)
• The Expansion of the School-Based Violence Intervention Program to Del Norte High School
• Another Successful Summer of Nonviolence, and the Launch of the Seasons of Nonviolence

ACS was the nation’s first behavioral health response department, and the following four and a half years have shown the ongoing dedication to provide the best public safety framework for Albuquerque and lead the nation. 

“Investments into ACS have shown time and again that we are reimagining public safety to create the greatest Albuquerque yet,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “The right response at the right time is a result of the tireless commitment of the City and Department to Albuquerque.”

“Over the past year, ACS has focused on strengthening how we respond and how quickly we connect people to care,” said ACS Director Jodie Esquibel. “These improvements reflect a Department that is evolving alongside Albuquerque’s needs and building a stronger, more responsive system for the community.”

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About Albuquerque Community Safety

Albuquerque Community Safety is the City of Albuquerque’s third branch of public safety. Responders take calls for service involving behavioral health, substance use, and other non-criminal and non-medical issues. Request an ACS Responder by calling 911 for emergencies and 311 for non-emergencies.