New Year, new chief for Albuquerque police

An Albuquerque native who rose through the ranks to become a deputy chief has been named interim chief of police for the Albuquerque Police Department.

After 21 years with the agency, Cecily Barker will oversee a department of more than 950 sworn officers, while Mayor Tim Keller considers the candidates for a permanent APD chief.

The announcement Wednesday afternoon follows the retirement of Harold Medina, a 30-year law enforcement veteran who spent more than four years as police chief.  Medina was named interim chief in September 2020 and appointed by Keller to serve as permanent chief in March 2021.

Medina has made no secret of his preference to be succeeded by Barker, who in recent years has appeared at crime scenes, news conferences and other public events representing the department.

Barker, in a 2021 APD recruitment video, said, "Some of the strongest and best leaders that I have seen on our department are women."

She is the first female to be named interim police chief.

“We are all deeply grateful to the people who choose to serve our community and show up for Albuquerque every day,” said Keller in a New Year's Eve press release. “As we move through a period of transition, we’re focused on lifting up the next wave of leaders who are ready to carry this work forward so our neighborhoods feel secure, and Albuquerque continues to move ahead. The future of City leadership is already taking shape.”

Keller is re-appointing Emily Jaramillo to serve as chief of Albuquerque Fire and Rescue. Lauren Keefe is being renamed interim city attorney, and Ethan Watson is being renamed as interim city clerk, per the city charter that requires these nominations before the new year.

According to the APD website, Barker was born and raised in Albuquerque. After attending college out of state, she returned to Albuquerque and joined the Albuquerque Police Department in 2004. 

After graduating from the police academy, Barker served in the Field Services Bureau from 2004-2012. During that time, she held collateral duties of gang suppression officer, crisis intervention officer and field training officer. 

She was promoted to sergeant in 2012 where she served in the Field Services Bureau and later in the Violent Crimes Division. She was promoted to lieutenant in 2017. As a lieutenant, Barker served in the Juvenile/Property Crime Division and the Criminalistics Division. 

She was promoted to commander in 2020 and served as the Northwest Area commander and later as the chief of staff. In 2021, she was promoted to deputy chief of the Investigative Bureau, where she led the Criminal Investigations Division, Investigative Services Division and the Scientific Evidence Division. 

In October 2023, Barker took over the Field Services Bureau — overseeing the city's six area commands.

Barker has an associate degree in criminal justice and a bachelor’s degree in justice administration. She is also a graduate from the Major Cities Chiefs Association Police Executive Leadership Institute and the Police Executive Training Program.

In the recruitment video, Barker stated that she had been treated differently as a female APD officer — "both good and bad."

"Specifically, I can think of calls that I've responded to where people have been relieved to have a female presence there. Victims who have been more willing to speak to females. I think it's important to have diversity on the department," she said. "Men and women are different and we each have our strengths and weaknesses."