A Durango Police Department officer who had recently completed training resigned Wednesday after being linked to an alleged DWI scandal in New Mexico, where he previously served as a law enforcement officer, that raised questions about his credibility.
The 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office placed former Albuquerque Police Department Officer Daniel Carr on its Brady-Giglio list on Monday. Carr informed his supervisor at the Durango Police Department that same day, according to DPD.
Carr was placed on administrative leave Tuesday and resigned the next day.
A Brady-Giglio list is a disclosure issued by prosecutors and police departments naming law enforcement officers who have “had sustained incidents of untruthfulness, criminal convictions, candor issues, or some other type of issue placing their credibility into question,” according to the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Although he has not been charged with a crime, Carr was deemed not credible because of his involvement in a driving while intoxicated corruption scheme under federal investigation, Albuquerque television station KRQE News reported on Tuesday.
The scheme involved law enforcement officers and a defense attorney’s office allegedly colluding to get DWI cases dismissed in court in exchange for money, according to KRQE News.
The federal investigation has led to 15 other New Mexico law enforcement officers from Albuquerque Police Department, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department and New Mexico State Police being placed on the Brady-Giglio list.
Durango Police Chief Brice Current said federal investigators could have informed the Durango Police Department of Carr’s involvement in the DWI investigation sooner if they had known he had joined DPD.
Carr’s previous supervisors at the Albuquerque Police Department provided “very positive comments” about him, Current said. Still, DPD’s background check revealed some “concerning” details.
DPD Deputy Chief Chris Gonzalez said Carr had 23 internal affair reports during his long career at Albuquerque Police Department, but only two reports involved investigations in which he received a penalty – a demotion or a suspension.
Other reports included minor complaints that did not involve disciplinary actions, complaints that were not sustained and four commendations. But the two instances that resulted in penalties raised concerns for DPD, he said.
The first such investigation stemmed from a 2013 complaint filed by a woman Carr had charged with a DWI, Gonzalez said. Carr entered into a brief relationship with the woman, during which he told her he could help her get her DWI dismissed.
No money was exchanged, but Carr had offered a favor, according to the report, he said.
The woman reported Carr and he was demoted from sergeant to police officer, received a suspension and was required to attend mandatory training.
The second investigation that drew DPD’s scrutiny was a driving under the influence stop involving a man who said Carr had targeted him. The man said Carr was targeting him because Carr knew his girlfriend. Most of the complaint was found unsustainable and Carr received a verbal warning, Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez said Carr was up front and transparent about both investigations when Gonzalez and Current interviewed him.
Because the concerning incidents occurred over a decade ago, and Carr demonstrated growth since then, DPD made the decision to hire him, Gonzalez said.
“He actually stayed with the Albuquerque PD, rebuilt his career and ended up taking a decent leadership role within the agency over the years as he recovered from this poor decision,” he said, adding Carr became an instructor for the Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement program.
While the internal affairs reports share similar themes as the alleged DWI scheme in Albuquerque, they do not rise to the same level as another allegation against Carr.
KRQE News investigated Carr in 2014 when he was an officer with the Albuquerque Police Department and reported he allegedly harassed a woman who worked at a strip club. The woman tolerated his advances because she believed Carr could get her boyfriend out of a DWI charge, according to KRQE.
Current said when an employee’s background check raises concerns, the police department examines the circumstances – the level of accountability and honesty the officer displayed, how the officer was disciplined, and whether the officer learned and improved from the experience.
“This officer earned a law degree and then became a supervisor again, and then left in good standing with Albuquerque PD,” he said.
Carr’s placement on a Brady-Giglio list is likely to negatively impact any court cases he was involved in, Current said, though he is uncertain to what extent cases will be affected in Durango.
“He just got off training, thank goodness,” he said.
Gonzalez said Brady-Giglio lists call into question the credibility of any officer whose name appears on them. Carr’s inclusion on a New Mexico list could result in his name being added to a Colorado list.
In Colorado, an officer can be listed for lying in court, manipulating evidence or being dishonest during an internal affairs investigation, for example, he said. An officer might also temporarily be added to a list if he or she causes serious injury in a car crash and ends up being a defendant in court.
In short, Carr’s credibility is called into question on every case for which he could appear as a witness.
“Whether he interviews someone and gets testimony, whether he takes evidence and puts it into our evidence storage – anything (where) his credibility is called into question will affect that particular court case,” Gonzales said.
DPD hired Carr in November 2024, after he retired from the Albuquerque Police Department. He completed Durango’s field training program in May and resigned on Wednesday.
“He was trusted to uphold the high standards of professionalism, character and accountability – values that we expect from every member of our department,” DPD said in a social media post.
cburney@durangoherald.com
