DUTY CALLS
How’s the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Dept. doing? Readers weigh in on its performance and problems
Body cams would help deputies
AFTER READING the story and conflicting accounts of events, I’m asking myself obvious questions. Didn’t the motorcycles have license plates? Wouldn’t it be a simple matter to identify the owners? Dashcams would have recorded some of the contested actions and certainly would have captured a license plate or two. Body cams would have easily recorded the events as well.
But Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel Gonzales says only three cruisers have dashcams and body cams are unnecessary. Dah! Which part of accountability and public scrutiny doesn’t Sheriff Gonzales understand? Why the reluctance and resistance to openness? What is Sheriff Gonzales terrified the public will see? Stop the BS, get with the times, quit whining, and get the cameras. CHARLES SMIROLDO Corrales
Law enforcement is not the problem
Another day, another article in the Albuquerque Journal where the criminals are made out to be the poor victims of the police and/or the sheriffs deputies, rather than the danger these criminals put the public through. This time, 50 to 75 motorcycles were reported by citizens to be driving recklessly on Paseo and Coors. They were speeding, doing motorcycle stunts, going through red lights and blocking regular traffic from going through intersections when they had a green light so they could have their fun and endanger others without overly endangering themselves.
A sheriff’s car catches up to them when they are doing the same on Tramway and tries to get them to pull over but they ignore (the deputy). He pulls out his gun and tells them to move over and they yell FY and give him the finger. They then surround the police car with perhaps 15 motorcycles and continue to swear at the cops and flash gang signs. The cops then go through various scenarios as to what they should do to try and stop these thugs from endangering the public and what they might need to do to protect themselves.
So it’s now a story of the poor motorcyclists and the over-reacting cops, despite that these idiot motorcyclists put hundreds of people in their cars in danger, could have easily caused fatal accidents with the public and ambulances, etc. It’s time to let our city officials know that the problem is not the law enforcement trying to figure out how to deal with these very difficult situations, but that the real risk to the public is idiots like these bikers who break the law and put the public in danger and think its just fine and then disobey law enforcement when they try to stop them. BARRY SCHWARTZ Albuquerque
It’s time for the sheriff to go
FRIENDS CLAIM I come from another planet, so is it just me, or is anyone else out there bewildered by the county sheriff quoted in (the Dec. 11) paper? Apparently he claims he may not proceed with investigating a use of force by his officers without a complaint and that he would not be surprised if a complainant does not come forward “out of fear of being charged criminally because you were out there lawlessly driving in the streets and you might be identified as a criminal network.”
What planet is this guy from? Does he not ever go out into the wider world? Anywhere? Is it just me, or this so-called sheriff protecting his crew with public threats and intimidation of innocent citizens? Who awarded him a judgeship? I am totally willing to lodge a complaint against this guy, the county sheriff, if someone would please point out the line for me to join. From where I sit, this sheriff has got to go, sooner rather than later. MATT THOMSON Albuquerque
Why concern over armed citizens?
THE JOURNAL article from Dec. 11, “Questions raised on ramming motorcycles,” quoted Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office Lt. AJ Rodriguez saying, “as you know, many of these guys are armed, which is my biggest concern.”
Are there any BCSO officers who are NOT big supporters of the Second Amendment? Are there any who do not support “concealed carry?” Probably not many. Let’s assume all of the supposedly “armed” motorcycle riders have permits for their guns and feel better knowing they can protect themselves in the event of a threat — just like most off-duty cops.
Isn’t that a good thing? An armed citizenry? Why then the “concern”? BYRON R. GATWOOD Albuquerque