US District Judge James Browning ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Following a federal court hearing Friday afternoon, U.S. District Judge James Browning signed off on a stipulated order from the city of Albuquerque and the Department of Justice proposing the creation of an outside team to assist the Albuquerque Police Department’s internal affairs force division with investigations into all but the most minor uses of force. Browning said he expects to issue a written opinion on the matter in April in response to the comments he heard in court. Under the order, the city will hire an administrator who will hire an as yet undecided number of investigators for the External Force Investigation Team. The outside investigators will accompany internal affairs detectives to the scene after an APD officer uses force on a person that causes injury, hospitalization or death. The external investigator will be privy to all evidence, documents and investigative notes and will evaluate the quality of the internal investigator’s work and notify APD and attorneys if there are any deficiencies.