Why Albuquerque’s Call Volume to APD Signals a Need for Private Security Support

The Albuquerque Police Department receives, on average, 500,000 calls for service every single year. That means that on any given day, dispatchers are fielding more than 1,300 emergency calls from residents and business owners across the city. Although not all these calls reflect active or critical crimes, nor are they all issues that require a traditional law enforcement response, the number is still staggering. This reality has raised an important question for many Albuquerque businesses and communities: who do we turn to when we need help, but it’s not a life-or-death emergency?

That’s where private security services, like those offered by AOP Security, come into play. Security on Demand, remote monitoring solutions, yard protection services, and security patrols are quickly becoming essential tools to fill the gap in public safety response and provide peace of mind to property owners, developers, and businesses throughout New Mexico.

It’s important to understand what the 500,000 annual calls to APD really represent. According to APD’s own data, those calls come into their 911 Emergency Communications Center from residents across Albuquerque. However, only around 120,000 of those calls result in official police reports being generated. That means over three-quarters of those calls are for issues that either don’t meet the threshold for criminal charges, are handled informally, or are logged without a follow-up.

In many of these cases, businesses or homeowners are calling to report issues like trespassing, suspicious activity, unauthorized encampments, property damage, or loitering. All of those that were listed may not result in an arrest, but still have a major impact on day-to-day operations, property value, and community safety.

As public safety agencies like APD continue to face resource and staffing limitations, AOP Security has stepped in to provide professional, responsive solutions for lower-priority incidents that can still cause real disruption. Our team of trained security guards and surveillance experts respond quickly to client requests, offering a range of services that include:

• Security On Demand for immediate, short-term needs.
• Remote Security Monitoring for 24/7 coverage of sites across the state.
• Yard Protection services for construction zones, equipment yards, and undeveloped real estate.
• Mobile Patrols to deter crime and report suspicious behavior in vulnerable neighborhoods and business corridors.

Each of these services play a vital role in addressing the types of issues that might otherwise be sent to APD’s overworked dispatch center, freeing up law enforcement to focus on higher-level crimes.

Security On Demand: Custom Solutions for Real-World Problems

We’ve said it before in previous blogs: not every threat is a crisis, but every incident matters. That’s the mindset behind AOP’s Security on Demand service. When businesses experience a pattern of break-ins, or real estate developers are concerned about squatting in vacant units, they don’t always need police intervention. Sometimes they just need consistent protection. Our Security on Demand model allows businesses to customize when and how they receive protection, scaling up or down based on their needs.

This flexible solution is ideal for property managers with fluctuating tenant occupancy, construction crews leaving behind high-value equipment, event organizers needing crowd monitoring and access control, and even business owners wanting extra overnight coverage during upticks in crime.

While APD leaders and city officials have acknowledged positive shifts in crime trends, such as the recent drop in aggravated assaults and homicides, there are still many areas of concern. Burglary, for instance, has spiked by 11% compared to the numbers from 2023. Likewise, as we’ve discussed in earlier posts, many of these crimes stem from underlying issues like addiction, homelessness, and an overall lack of social infrastructure.

It’s not just about criminal intent; it’s about desperation, opportunity, and a strained city system that can’t always respond fast enough. Albuquerque’s downtown and surrounding commercial zones continue to be hotspots for encampments, repeat property damage, and youth-related incidents. In this environment, private security solutions aren’t just a luxury… they’re a necessity. AOP Security helps business owners and community leaders stay focused on their goals by keeping their properties safe, their employees confident, and their customers secure.

Remote monitoring extends our reach beyond the metro thanks to major advancements in our command center technology, led by industry veteran, Gil Chavez. AOP Security is no longer limited to keeping you safe only within city limits. Our live remote monitoring system allows us to cover locations such as Clovis, Española, Bernalillo, and even rural parts of Colorado with real-time alerts, visual surveillance, and active response coordination.

This level of support is particularly valuable in communities where police coverage may be even thinner than in Albuquerque. Rather than waiting hours for a deputy to respond, clients benefit from instant video verification, intercom capabilities, and coordinated action from our headquarters, thus allowing them to focus on other important business activities.

It’s important to remember that at the end of the day, security is a shared responsibility. At the heart of this topic is the understanding that community safety is no longer the sole domain of public law enforcement. It’s a shared responsibility. When business owners, property developers, and community groups take proactive steps to secure their spaces, they reduce the burden on emergency responders and make the entire city safer.

AOP Security works in tandem with police departments, not in opposition. We assist by identifying threats early, documenting evidence, and de-escalating situations that could otherwise turn violent or destructive. Likewise, we do so while staying within the legal parameters of private security work.

Albuquerque is growing, evolving, and facing new challenges every day. The demand on APD will not shrink overnight. But with strategic partnerships, private security providers like AOP Security can help reshape the way we think about safety. With over 500,000 calls to police annually, it’s time for a smarter, more sustainable solution. That solution starts with Security on Demand, backed by a professional team and powered by real-time technology.

If you’re a business owner, property manager, or community leader in Albuquerque or beyond, now is the time to reevaluate your safety strategy.

Let AOP Security help.

Visit www.AOPsecurity.com or call (505) 897-1307 to schedule a consultation and see how we can provide the protection you deserve.

** DISCLAIMER ** AOP Security will not respond to violent or life-threatening situations. If you are in a dangerous or potentially life-threatening situation, please dial 911 immediately. Calls in that nature will need to be handled by local law enforcement for the proper protection of all parties. 

Categorised in: Security on Demand

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