Monitor is biased against APD
DOJ requirements against department ‘staggering and paralyzing’
The (Nov. 1 Albuquerque Journal) article dealing with the APD monitor has propelled me to write an op-ed once again. The question posed by the article is whether James Ginger is biased against our police department. “Ya Think?”
He is absolutely biased against the members of this department as evidenced by his ridiculous interpretation of the basic requirements of the settlement agreement. His view of the Use of Force requirements virtually make it impossible for officers to do their jobs. The bureaucratic quagmire that has been imposed on the men and women of this department is nothing short of staggering and paralyzing. The use of an extremely low level of force triggers a lengthy investigation that pulls officers and sergeants out of duty for prolonged periods of time. Unfortunately we can’t ask the “bad guys” for a “time out.”
I wrote almost three years ago that allowing extremists and “cop-haters” to co-opt this agency would result in a precipitous rise in crime. Well low and behold what mess have we found ourselves in? This has been compounded by the fact that the state Supreme Court has taken an effort by the voters, in the guise of supporting a bail reform measure, to print out an endless supply of “get out of jail cards.” Instead of using a dose of common sense, they have hamstrung the police and District Attorney’s Office. Collectively they sit in their ivory tower as the city slides into anarchy. I suspect that they simply do not care unless they personally are affected or one of their loved ones becomes a victim of a violent crime.
The whole issue of the Department of Justice taking over the police department was the result of certain politicians bowing to outside pressure. The DOJ was quite willing to complete a study and provide a list of recommendations. That would have been completely appropriate, as I am not saying we didn’t have issues that needed to be addressed and that there was not room for improvement. We can always get better, and the idea of relying on more Critical Incident de-escalation training and Reality Based Scenario training are sound ideas. We absolutely could have benefited by outside review and recommendations pertaining to the use of force, but to have a group of DOJ lawyers take over this department and then implement untenable requirements has been a calamity to the citizens of this city and to the men and women who put their lives on the line every day.
The criminal element has certainly benefitted, however. It is almost surreal how everything has been turned upside down as the criminal class has absolutely no respect for law enforcement and societal norms of behavior. I certainly hope the next mayor appreciates how dire the situation has become and develops a plan to support the guardians of this city!