Mayor threw Chief Geier under a bus

THIS IS IN response to the recent “retirement” of APD Chief (Michael) Geier. I will give this to the mayor of Albuquerque — he made a wise choice in June 2018 when he chose a man with integrity and humility to lead APD. It may be the only wise decision he has made since taking office.

Chief Geier made it his life’s career to be a public servant in one of the most challenging professions. Unfortunately, I have the feeling that (Mayor Tim) Keller didn’t heed to the experience of the chief. Instead, believing that he knew better with his zero years of law enforcement experience, made several decisions that have been detrimental to the city as well as pushing out a very capable chief.

I am curious, upon addressing the chief’s retirement, when (Keller) said “this was the time to hit the accelerator,” did he mean the gas pedal on the bus that he threw the chief under?

Come on, we all know that fighting crime is not his strong suit, nor is it really his intent.

In his statement on Sept. 10, he cited a new phase for crime-fighting and reform efforts. Yet, during an interview with KOB on Sept. 2, when asked why he was hesitant to accept the $10 million in federal money to hire more APD officers, he responded with, “I think fundamentally, it’s the president of the United States, which I know sounds awkward, but in this case, it was really the president.” Actually, it doesn’t sound awkward at all. What it sounds like is that he put his personal bias ahead of the safety of the citizens of Albuquerque.

If he really wants to be an effective mayor, he needs to step aside and let the law enforcement officers do their job. You need to stand behind them and support them, not get in their way.

Finally, to Chief Geier, thank you for your service and for your efforts to make the city a safer place. Godspeed to you, sir.

JESSICA MORNING Albuquerque