Instead of protecting the airport, the city program functioned as private security for visiting jewelry carriers.
On-duty police officers from the Albuquerque Aviation Police Department were found to have carried out secret operations called “diamond runs” in which the officers would escort high-priced jewelry carriers to stores in the area, according to an investigation by KRQE News 13.
The report says that the specialized police force – whose job is to protect the local airport and the passengers that come through it – conducted more than a dozen of these operations. Some of the officers received orders from the top to escort gemologists or the jewelry carriers to their destinations, acting as a sort of private security detail for which the department received payment. Former Aviation police officer Eldon Martinez told the news station that the diamond runs were secretive, dangerous and consisted of “almost illegal type of activities.” Now the department is facing a restructuring after a separate investigation resulted in the suspension of its chief.
Here’s the video report.
Read more at KRQE News 13
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