Police union makes fun of Berry award

This award might not end up in a trophy case.

The Albuquerque Police Officers Association announced Thursday it is giving the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce the “Most Out of Touch with Their Community” award.

The police union’s award is in response to an award the chamber was presenting to Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry on Thursday night “for Excellence in Public Safety.”

The chamber said that despite the city’s rising crime rates, it is

giving the award to Berry for crime-fighting initiatives he has launched as a mayor.

“It’s laughable,” said police union president Shaun Willoughby. “It basically proves that everybody gets a trophy.”

Willoughby said Berry is responsible for the city’s rising crime by not keeping police officers’ pay competitive with major-city police departments in surrounding states.

The union and mayor have for years clashed on a variety issues, from officer pay to how to grow the size of the police department.

What does the chamber think of the union’s reaction to the award?

“My first reaction was ‘Oh, give me a break,’ ” said Terri Cole, the CEO of the chamber. “The mayor and the police union have been fighting for years.”

Cole added that the union helped kill one of the mayor’s attempts to grow the size of the police force by lobbying against return-to-work legislation at the Roundhouse, where lawmakers were considering a bill that would have allowed retired police officers to come back to work while collecting their pensions. She said the mayor’s proposal could have helped fight crime in the city.

Willoughby said the department is understaffed because of Berry’s policies concerning pay for senior officers and retention bonuses. The city has about 860 officers, but it is authorized for 1,000.

Willoughby said that’s led to the city’s rising crime rates.

“We’re understaffed in every attribute in this community,” he said. “We got people getting crucified on trees in the Open Space. There are four (Open Space officers.)”

Willoughby was referring to a May case when a man was found nailed to a tree in the bosque, which is patrolled by Open Space officers. The man survived.

Mayor Berry said in a statement, “The union leadership has their job to do, but I wish they would choose to work more collaboratively with us and all of our partners on things like proven solutions to increase the size of our police force, as opposed to simply engaging in ridicule.” He also thanked the chamber for their support of the community and police officers.

To add insult to the union’s award, which Willoughby had printed and framed to look official, the police union also is launching a social media campaign to showcase crime in the city. Willoughby invited people and businesses to share stories about being a victim of a crime using the hashtags: #shameberofcommerce and #berrybadoncrime.

“They are out of touch. They’re supposed to be supporting the business community and they are not,” Willoughby said of the chamber. “Businesses don’t feel safe. Businesses don’t think crime is down.

“I don’t think (the chamber is) thinking at all, to be frank,” he said. “I think this makes them lose credibility as an organization. And I believe the business community that they represent should be furious. Because your police officers ... are laughing.”