Rio Rancho’s police and fire departments handled tens of thousands of calls in 2025, with new data showing faster fire response times but a notable rise in structure fires and a wide spread in police response times depending on call urgency.
The Rio Rancho Police Department received 66,232 total calls for service between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2025, according to department figures obtained and reviewed by The 528. Priority 2 calls — the most common category — accounted for 45,303 of those, followed by 18,196 Priority 3 calls and 2,733 Priority 1 calls.
“The Rio Rancho Police Department prides itself on its ability to serve the community in a timely and effective manner. A quick response begins with our Dispatch Center, and their ability effectively enter calls into our computer aided dispatch program so officers can respond,” RRPD Captain Nick Army told The 528. “Calls must be triaged and categorized quickly so life threatening emergencies receive the fasted possible response from the officers in the field.” Technology also plays a role in fast response times. Our dispatchers can see the location of officers on a city map in order to send the closest officer to where the emergency originated.”
Priority 1 constitutes emergencies with an immediate threat to life, while lower priorities are assigned to non-violent or non-urgent incidents. Calls are ranked based on the need for immediate action — a robbery in progress, for instance, takes precedence over lower-priority, non-emergency or administrative reports.
Average police response times varied significantly by call priority. Officers responded to Priority 1 calls in an average of 8 minutes and 8 seconds, while Priority 2 calls averaged 11 minutes and 7 seconds. Priority 3 calls saw the longest average response time at 28 minutes and 23 seconds.
“One of the biggest challenges faced by the Department is the balance of increasing call volume and available staffing,” Army said. “As the community grows, so does the demand for police services. Traffic congestion during peak hours and expanding neighborhoods impact the ability to respond quickly. Despite these factors, the department continuously evaluates resources, staffing levels and operational strategies to ensure we deliver the level of service our community expects and deserves.”
On the fire and rescue side, Rio Rancho Fire and Rescue logged 10,684 emergency medical service calls in 2025 — a slight decrease from 11,031 in 2024, though EMS volume has grown roughly 16% over the past five years, up from 9,244 calls in 2021.
The department also reported an improvement in overall response times, with the average dropping to 8 minutes and 55 seconds in 2025, compared to 9 minutes and 8 seconds in 2024.
Despite the faster response times, structure fires increased. The department responded to 70 structure fires in 2025, up from 59 the previous year — an increase of nearly 19%.
How Albuquerque Compares
Rio Rancho’s numbers take on additional context when measured against those of neighboring Albuquerque, a city roughly seven times larger by population and with significantly greater public safety resources.
Police
According to the City of Albuquerque’s FY26 budget, the Albuquerque Police Department logged 516,697 calls for service in fiscal year 2025 — nearly eight times Rio Rancho’s volume. APD’s Priority 1 average response time was 8 minutes and 52 seconds, somewhat slower than Rio Rancho’s 8:08, while Priority 2 and Priority 3 response times also lagged behind at 14 minutes and 10 seconds and 19 minutes and 25 seconds, respectively — compared to Rio Rancho’s 11:07 and 28:23. Rio Rancho’s Priority 3 response times were notably longer than Albuquerque’s.
APD ended FY25 with 881 sworn officers against a target of 1,100, a staffing shortfall the department is working to address heading into FY26. The department’s approved FY26 budget is $273 million — more than 10 times the scale of Rio Rancho’s operation — with 1,887 authorized full-time positions.
Fire and Rescue
Albuquerque Fire Rescue handled 124,232 emergency dispatches in FY25, dwarfing Rio Rancho’s call volume but serving a much larger urban footprint. AFR’s average total response time of 8 minutes and 55 seconds in FY25 — identical to Rio Rancho’s — is notable given the difference in city size and call density.
Data sourced from the Rio Rancho Police Department 2025 Response Time Report, the Rio Rancho Fire and Rescue 2025 Annual Report, and the City of Albuquerque FY26 Approved Budget documents.