BCSO’s first pursuit video shows metro’s good, bad and ugly
The first body camera footage released by the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office last week was almost worth the wait. And the juxtaposition of a local track star running down a career criminal couldn’t have been more striking — and heartening to those who want to see a bite taken out of crime.
The minute-and-a-half video encapsulated the good, the bad and the ugly that is the metro area. The good: Deputy Detective Mustafa Mudada, a two-time state champion hurdler at Albuquerque’s Highland High School. The Journal’s 2012-13 Metro Athlete of the Year for Boys Track and Field can be seen hurdling fences, running through multiple properties and repeatedly yelling “stop running” in pursuit of 26-yearold suspect Jose Mercado, who law enforcement says had been driving a stolen truck.
A Southeast Albuquerque woman told deputies she went home Jan. 20 to find her house broken into and her truck missing. Mercado was allegedly stopped while driving the truck in Northeast Albuquerque, where the foot pursuit ensued. Police reported finding two guns in the truck and 2 grams of methamphetamine in Mercado’s pocket.
The BCSO news release laid the contrast of crime-fighter vs. crime-committer bare. It included some of Mudada’s high school and college stats at UNM, where he earned All-Mountain West honors for the outdoor team as well as Academic All-Mountain West recognition in 2014. Mercado, who eventually surrendered in an open field, never had a chance.
As for the bad: The release listed charges Mercado had racked up since reaching adulthood in 2013 — receiving a stolen firearm, felony assault, false imprisonment, negligent use of a firearm, battery on a household member, interference with communications, receiving/transferring a stolen vehicle, DWI, reckless driving, possession of a controlled substance, eluding or evading, negligent use of a firearm, failure to appear in court, suspended/revoked driver’s license, aggravated battery on a household member, resisting, evading or obstructing a police officer, speeding, DWI-second arrest, possession of open container.
“It might have been easier to list the crimes he has not been charged with in his criminal career,” the release, written by Deputy Joseph P. Montiel, states.
Now the ugly: Mercado’s fast-tracked release from jail. After being booked at MDC on charges of receiving or transferring a stolen motor vehicle; resisting, evading or obstructing an officer; and possession of a controlled substance, Albuquerque Metropolitan Court Judge Renee Torres promptly released Mercado with no bond due. “Even though he has an extensive felony record and numerous run-ins with law enforcement, records show he was released on his own recognizance” Jan. 23, states the BCSO news release.
That rightly incensed Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel Gonzales. “The confidence of repeat violent offenders is bolstered when they are arrested over and over again with little to no consequences. This is unacceptable,” the sheriff said.
For years, Gonzales had resisted outfitting his deputies with body cameras until the Legislature passed a law last year requiring them. As the Mercado arrest shows, the cameras can highlight the actions of officers and intensity of interactions like nothing else.
The silver lining is, of course, Mudada, an impressive example of a talented young man who chose to stay in New Mexico and make his community a safer place. Credit goes to those responsible for hiring Mudada at BCSO, not to mention those who molded him into a high achiever and speedy lawman.