ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — The American Civil Liberties Union
of New Mexico and the city of Albuquerque reached a settlement Wednesday in a
freedom-of-speech lawsuit against the Albuquerque Police Oversight Commission.
Under the terms of the settlement, the city agreed to move
to increase the public comment limit from two to three minutes before the
commission and permit some speakers to donate their time. The city also agreed
to pay $14,000 in damages and attorneys' fees.
"We are very pleased that our rights to Free Speech
were affirmed through this settlement," said plaintiff Kenneth Ellis, Jr.,
in a statement released by the ACLU. "As the father of a son who was
wrongfully killed by Albuquerque police, I must speak out about the problems
with the police and the Police Oversight Commission — even when the government
doesn't like what I have to say."
Early this year, the Ellis family won one of the biggest
awards in city history — $10.3 million — stemming from an officer-involved
shooting. In that case, Officer Brett Lampiris-Tremba fatally shot Iraq War
veteran Kenneth Ellis III in the neck during a nine-minute encounter with
police in which Ellis held a gun to his own head.
The ACLU filed the lawsuit after the civilian board limited
the public comment period during a mid-December meeting.
The commission reviews allegations of police misconduct and
excessive force.
Albuquerque's police department has been plagued by a number
of high-profile cases alleging excessive force. Since 2010, the city also has
seen more than two dozen officer-involved shootings.