Albuquerque, NM- The Albuquerque Police Department implemented a new policy over the weekend to run monthly background checks on all of its sworn employees in an effort to catch possible warrants on the department’s officers.

According to the Associated Press, APD spokeswoman Celina Espinoza said on Saturday that “driver’s licenses of sworn employees will undergo a monthly background check for possible warrant suspensions or expirations.”

The new policy was put in place shortly after the arrest of APD patrol officer Skyler McClaskey. McClaskey was arrested early Saturday morning along with his wife Jodi and are each facing one charge of child abuse for allegedly hitting their 12-year-old son. Officer McClaskey was later found to have an outstanding warrant from 2014 for check fraud.

The arrests were made following an investigation by state police after they were contacted by New Mexico’s Children, Youth and Families Department last Friday. CYFD had observed several bruises on McClaskey’s stepson during a welfare check; it is unclear who initiated a CYFD check on the boy.

A criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court stated that earlier last week Skyler McClaskey allegedly slapped the boy repeatedly to discipline him for pinching his sister. Skyler McClaskey allegedly proceeded to flip the boy onto his stomach and place his knee on his stepson’s back while continuing to hit him. The boy accused Skyler McClaskey of later pushing him into an entertainment center, and said that he tripped and fell trying to get away from his stepfather before his biological mother, Jodi McClaskey, grabbed him by the hair and attempted to hit him.

Skyler McClaskey’s arrest led to the discovery that he also had an outstanding 2014 warrant for his arrest in Santa Fe County for writing a bad check. Espinoza said that the new policy running monthly checks on officers is “to prevent similar situations.”

Skyler and Jodi McClaskey both posted bond and were released Saturday evening. They were charged with “first offense child abuse without great bodily harm.” Skyler McClaskey, who has been employed by APD since 2006, was placed on paid leave after the arrest and is likely to be fired if he is indicted on the child abuse charge.