APD fires Real Time Crime Center manager
Albuquerque police are cutting ties with the manager of the department’s Real Time Crime Center.
T.J. Wilham said in an interview with the Journal that his last day was Friday.
Gilbert Gallegos, a police spokesman, said in a statement that Wilham is being “separated from employment.” Don Lewis, who was a supervisor at the center, is the acting director.
“We are moving in a new direction to ensure the center is positioned to help APD better fight crime,” Gallegos said.
Wilham said he wasn’t aware of the circumstances surrounding his termination. Late last year, under the former city administration, Wilham was moved from an unclassified to a classified position, which typically gives employees more protections against being terminated.
Wilham started working for the city as a spokesman in December 2009 before moving to the Real Time Crime Center. Development of the center started in 2011 and it became fully functional in 2013.
The RTCC provides officers in the field with information about people, such as if they have a history of mental illness, in real time when officers are dispatched to calls. Civilians and officers working in the center can also access law enforcement databases and certain cameras around the city.
Late last year, the center helped create an ALeRT system that notifies police and prosecutors when someone with a long history of arrests or convictions is booked on new charges. That helps law enforcement officials prioritize prosecutions.
Wilham said some of the successes at the RTCC under his watch include a crisis intervention case management system that provides police with real time information about people with mental illnesses. Recently, Wilham was working to compile information from various law enforcement agencies on people who made threats to schools.
“I just want to say that the years I spent in charge of the Real Time Crime Center were the best of my career,” he said. “We accomplished so much. … I believe the system is saving lives.”