The Albuquerque Police Department (APD) has been under the watchful eye of a third-party monitor for nine years. But now, the latest report from that monitor says APD is ready to handle its own oversight of progress.

Since 2014, the police department has been under a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Part of that settlement agreement was paying an outside group to monitor APD’s progress, KQRE reports. In 2021 KQRE reported that the monitor had been paid $8.5 million.

The latest report from that monitor says APD is “effectively self-monitoring” and that APD’s uses of force have decreased.

The monitor’s report notes that APD still needs to improve supervisory oversight of in-field activities. The monitor also says the Civilian Police Oversight Agency, which focuses on police accountability, needs to address timeliness and staffing issues.

While the monitor’s recommendation is a big hurdle, ultimately a federal judge still needs to sign off on allowing APD to self-monitor. They’ll meet the judge in a hearing on June 4.