A fourth Albuquerque, New Mexico, police officer has resigned amid probe of unit

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A fourth officer has resigned amid an investigation into alleged misconduct by officers assigned to a unit charged with stopping impaired drivers, police in Albuquerque, New Mexico said.

Investigators had attempted to schedule an interview with Nelson Ortiz, but he resigned Thursday, the department said in a news release.

Ortiz joined the department in January 2016 and was assigned to the DWI unit from 2018 to 2021.

Police launched an investigation into officers who currently or previously worked for the unit. The FBI is also investigating.

Five officers have been placed on administrative leave during the investigation. The three officers who resigned earlier were Justin Hunt, Honorio Alba and Harvey Johnson.

According to documents obtained by the Albuquerque Journal, the federal investigation began after an officer’s stop in August during which he allegedly told the driver to contact a specific attorney to ensure a case would not be filed.

The investigation has focused in part on DWI criminal cases filed by specific officers who were ultimately dismissed, the Journal reported. More than 150 cases alleging drivers were driving under the influence have been dismissed as part of the investigation.

Three Albuquerque police officers combined to file 136 of 152 DWI cases, and at least 107 of those were filed last year, which was 10% of such cases for the department that year.