Mayor Richard Berry and the hapless City Council should start the process of firing the Police Chief Gordon Eden. It is pretty obvious that he just doesn't have the gravitas to order the old guard in the PD to get on with reforms ordered by the Justice Department. The Mayor really bears the responsibility for doing this, but because he has become invisible on all matters APD, maybe the Council needs to send a clear message that there needs to be a change. And it needs to happen soon.
The New Yorker magazine has a new weekly show on Amazon. Front and center this week was the APD shooting spree. It made Albuquerque look like a shooting gallery. It was a terrible thing to watch, especially when one knows it is true.
The level of political leadership in this city is heartbreaking.
The New Yorker magazine has a new weekly show on Amazon. Front and center this week was the APD shooting spree. It made Albuquerque look like a shooting gallery. It was a terrible thing to watch, especially when one knows it is true.
The level of political leadership in this city is heartbreaking.
6 comments:
I attended the study session. It was disappointing the City Council failed to ask any hard questions of Dr. Ginger during their "study session" and holding the Berry Administration responsible for what it has done to a once great police department. No one asked Dr. Ginger what he meant when he said APD engaged in“delay, do little and deflect” tactics nor if anyone in the APD command staff should be removed for such tactics. So far, the City Council has done very little to get a handle on reforming APD. It was obvious that APD is relying upon the very same management that created, caused or contributed to the “culture of aggression” found by the Department of Justice to “rewrite or amend” existing policies, and especially the “use of force policy”. Case in point the retired and return to work APD Assistant Chief who is the former SWAT commander. The DOJ report was highly critical of the SWAT unit and the officer involved shootings and the Assistant Chief is part of the policy review process. Former US Magistrate Lorenzo Garcia is a highly respected federal judge, but it was acknowledged that he has never actually written constitutional police policy. No City Councilor asked what Judge Garza is being paid and who else was considered for the no bid contract. Two years into the consent decree and $4 million paid in taxpayer money to the Monitor and the City is so behind the curve and timeline that failure is assured with very little accomplished in reforms. It was pathetic and expected that Mayor Berry nor his CAO Rob Perry did not even bother to attend the meeting. What was even more pathetic was the way the City Council responded with a laugh and made light of the fact that Dr, Ginger said he felt the City Council was ultimately responsible for reforming APD. Should we all laugh or cry together? The City Council needs to call for the removal of the Chief and Deputies and demand a management team that can get the job done with the APD reforms because what they are doing now, in Dr. Ginger’s words, is not working.
This tactic reinforces Reynaldo Chavez' allegations in his suit against APD. Obfuscate, delay, ignore. So much for the idea of public service. The public may pay the bills but Eden heads a private club. Even it's own members know the pecking order. This could be the problem in attracting those who'd be APD's finest.
Between Jim Baca on this site and Pete Dinelli in the Journal comments, it's clear a few former leaders of the community understand that the city is going down the drain..but besides writing blogs, what else are they, or anyone, doing?
Where is the outrage? Where are the marches, the rallies at the City Council meetings?
Oh, that's right, manana.
Get your act together, New Mexico!
New Mexico is a state largely populated by losers and the worthless. The likes of Dinelli and others that want to do good are just jousting at Windmills. Face it, nobody cares.
I just wish we had a Mayor, Governor and any elected official advocating every one to cancel their Albuquerque Journal subscription.
We will not see any movement within the APD until the current City Hall administration has been flushed. So all we can do is watch as it continues to circle the bowl.
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