After today's services for the slain APD Officer Dan Webster the calm will end and everyone will jockey for political advantage over the issue of crime and policing in Albuquerque. The Mayor and Governor will blame the state legislature for the endless problems emanating out of city government, by saying repeat criminals get out of prison too easily.
That is somewhat true, but in fact it is just abysmal leadership there in City Hall. We still know little about the incident that took Webster's life. Were there backup officers available? How many officers were working that night? Etc. Etc. This is far from over.
The Police Union will take a strong position for higher salaries and more officers on the force. They will attempt to run the department and who can blame them?
The GOP will continue to blame the Democrats for all of this and use their superior oil and gas funded PACs to carry that message forward. Governor Martinez will get her picture in the Journal for the 10th time reading to children. The Mayor will go out of town again to get away from the stress. The Democrats will do or say nothing, as usual.
And the gun dealers in Albuquerque will see another surge in business.
That is somewhat true, but in fact it is just abysmal leadership there in City Hall. We still know little about the incident that took Webster's life. Were there backup officers available? How many officers were working that night? Etc. Etc. This is far from over.
The Police Union will take a strong position for higher salaries and more officers on the force. They will attempt to run the department and who can blame them?
The GOP will continue to blame the Democrats for all of this and use their superior oil and gas funded PACs to carry that message forward. Governor Martinez will get her picture in the Journal for the 10th time reading to children. The Mayor will go out of town again to get away from the stress. The Democrats will do or say nothing, as usual.
And the gun dealers in Albuquerque will see another surge in business.
10 comments:
Officer Webster did not call for backup because there were not enough available officers to help with a traffic stop arrest and there were 15 or fewer officers patrolling the streets in that area command at the time when Officer Webster was killed. Once the shooting occurred all units were dispatched to the scene and it was too late. But the Journal and the media does not report anything on this, but APD insiders know what happened but are not saying anything.
What did Webster's lapel camera video dhow? A stolen motorcycle isn't just a traffic stop (about 100 officers hung around the hospital later). Where was his gun while handcuffing? Serious protocol questions. Which gang is Lymon's? What's going down between APD and gangs?
Supposedly Officer Webster's taser did not function. I truly hope APD stands up and turns their backs collectively to these leaderless leaders. They need to because they are safe on the streets and we are not either for that matter. It's not the laws, it's Berry, Martinez and the tentacles of political money destroying our state. Martinez is nervous because she's running to the kids again for reading lessons. Sure wish this state would wake up. It might be already too late given the woeful economic news and out of control crime is our largest city. Martinez and her ilk had one plan - - destroy government. There are no correctional officers, no rehabilitation effort and the cycle of crime continues. Berry had one plan - - dismantle the APD union. There's no officers, no contract and the bonus money goes to the unqualified managers. Seems like their plan is working and it's up to us to stop it.
Eden and Berry have refused to release the officer lineup for the day Webster was murdered. REFUSED! They also are refusing to release dispatch logs that would show if any officer was even available for dispatch as back up! Why won't Chris Ramirez put Eden and Berry on the spot the way he does Brandenburg? Why won't Doug Fernandez ask Berry and Eden these questions? And KRQE seems scared of it's own shadow. Ever since Proctor hit Berry and Eden hard in the spring with honest reporting, KRQE does puppy stories. The Journal? They are the PR machine for Berry.
So not one of the major media outlets is asking Berry anything. Here is a great follow up question to the lack of officers at APD. Mayor Berry, it has been six years, why don't you give APD officers the raise the city agreed to? Berry gives his favorite 1%er at city hall, Rob Perry almost $40,000 in annual raises over the last two years. APD cops? ZERO.
That's a great way to honor your police isn't it.
And everyone who can get in front of a microphone will become an expert on crime, and no one will stop and think about why it exists or why some societies are virtually free of it or why the US is by far the most imprisoned society in the world, and why after tens of thousands of years of human civilization we still have crime and still do the same things about it and still have crime.
And you're right, Democrats will say nothing, because they have nothing to say. Democrats believe in nothing any more. They have no guiding ideology. They turned it in for money and are afraid to appear as weak and afraid to anger business and afraid to anger anybody. They are afraid of the people and do all they can to make sure they don't get organized and realize their latent power and do something about the ways things are.
A prosperous society is free of crime. One that isn't isn't. Other things can move the scale but not as much. The Journal had a series of stories on Sunday about crime. None of them raised any questions about crime and its origins or offered any intelligent solutions at all. All of them said the exact same thing. If you have a bad dog you should beat it and if that makes it worse the solution is to beat it some more, and if you have a kid who gets in trouble, beat it, and if that doesn't work, beat it some more.
One question I see no one is asking is how can a career criminal like the guy that shot officer Webster can get a hold of guns so easily .Tell the Governor to stop supporting the NRA .Tell her friends to stop giving guns to criminals and it make harder for these cop killers to get guns period .
A career criminal only has to look on Jasons Guns to find a gun. Private sales are just that private no ID required on most private sales. So wake up we don't need more laws we need the people to realize that we live in the real world. I can't believe how naive people are. You can leave your house and come home with as many guns as you can afford with no questions asked and it's all Legal !!
Susana Martinez has basically bailed out Berry from being held accountable for how he and Eden have destroyed a once great police department and City. You can almost feel the change in public opinion as a result of the killing of Office Webster and for that matter 4 year old Lilly Garcia. The New Mexico State Senate will now be on trial and Berry will become the leading candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor, even if all his efforts in Santa Fe fail. Not even Clinton at the top of the ticket will be able to save the State Senate from going Republican.
I agree guns are a big problem and NM needs to tightened up on gun regulation. But, this country is so crazy that we can't even have a rationale discussion. Meanwhile another 5 students gunned down at a California college. You can buy a gun in NM at a gun show without any background or ID. It's harder to buy cold medicine. That's disgusting.
I don't think things will change much when it comes to the police department until we get a NEW Mayor in office.
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