Audit: Lawsuits draining Albuquerque's risk management fund

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Legal settlements in law enforcement civil rights cases over the past five years have severely depleted Albuquerque's risk management fund, which pays for uninsured losses. In a letter to city officials, state Auditor Tim Keller wrote that the city needs to increase funding for the risk management fund to $6.3 million a year to cover the fund's $40 million shortfall. The annual audit of the city budget shows that Albuquerque has made $62 million in payouts since 2010. The city has budgeted between $2.1 million and $3.6 million a year to bolster the risk management fund in the past three years, which Keller wrote was insufficient with the rate Albuquerque is spending. In a written response to Keller, Chief Administrative Officer Rob Perry said the city has adopted policing reforms to reduce the number of claims against the department.