Manpower levels at APD have been an issue for some time now. Councilor Brad Winter, while running against the current head of APD - Martin Chavez, made it an issue in the last election (ABQ Journal - Subscription Required). There's nothing in Sunday's article that makes one believe that APD has addressed the situation, nor is there any indication that they have come up with a viable plan to correct it.
APD's claimed strength is 998 officers with (according to the Journal) 43.5% of those officers available to take calls. That's about 434 officers ready to come to your aid when your being robbed, beat, or criminally victimized. Our Eyes tell us that the bid number (434) is actually 409 and that the actual total number of sworn officers available is closer to 800. None of the above numbers can actually be verified because APD is keeping them locked away on the 5th floor where neither the Journal nor City Councilor Brad Winter can get a look at them.
(Sidebar)APD is simply asking all of us to take them at their word, which is particularly troubling considering that all of the empirical evidence suggests that they're playing with the numbers. In addition, APD spokesman John Walsh would like us to believe that they cannot account for calls for service taken by the 56.5% of the force that make up APD's specialized units. Are we really to believe that over half of APD's officers and their activities cannot be accounted for? If that is true it's a sign of colossal incompetence.
The Almighty Marty (no doubt in an attempt to look more gubernatorial) announced an open government initiative last week. The Journal ran a story just this morning heaping praise on the mayor for his proposals (ABQ Journal - Subscription Required). We've got a suggestion for the aspiring governor... produce an APD manpower roster (sworn and not) complete with assignments for public review. If you're going to push for open government, try opening up APD.
(End Sidebar)
Our Eyes on the other hand aren't buying spokesman Walsh's assertions. Any officer that responds to a call for service is tracked and reports are generated... as they should be. The Eyes have it that APD just doesn't want to admit that their specialized units rarely volunteer to take a call for service and if they show at all, it's usually in a backup role. The Eyes went so far as to call Walsh's assertion a... uh, shall we say, falsehood.
We can sit around and argue numbers all day long, but that doesn't change the fact that APD will take longer to get to you when you really need them. All of the excuses - like having to respond to burglary calls, 10-44's (accidents without injuries), and animal in danger calls - don't change the fact that we are not getting the police protection that we are paying for. Chief Schultz maintains that if they didn't have to respond to all of those calls that response times would improve. That's like saying if they didn't have to enforce the law, there'd be more time to enforce the law.
The fact of the matter is that APD has a number of problems and they're doing everything in their power not to admit that they've got a problem. If you take a gander at a few of the posts on this site, you'll quickly identify a number of comments from various readers that can only be officers (hopefully off-duty for a number of reasons). Morale is obviously down, manpower levels are not what they should be, and officers are feeling the need to apologize to people when they finally arrive at a call.
It's obvious that, as APOA President Ron Alivas said, "[officers are] coming to us telling us they are getting their butt kicked out there." If that truly is the case, then they are losing as a department and we are losing as a community. It's time that the 5th and 11th floors take the first step toward recovery... admit you've got a problem.
16 comments:
This concerns me greatly due to the fact that my husband is a police officer and we have kids at home. I worry all the time that my husband might be on a call and the closest backup is miles away. We all know what could happen. I sure hope the Chief and the Mayor can live with themselves if something happens to one of these officers.
Of course they can live with themselves, they have no ethics, or remorse. Or souls. And they have surrounded themselves with the same.
Your husband will get a glittery funeral, the mayor and chief will talk about how dedicated he was, how his loss is not only a loss to you, but to the community also, how we must all be diligent in protecting each other, yada yada yada.....and maybe, he'll get a substation that they don't need named after him. And as soon as the funeral is over, you'll never hear from them again.
Every officer I know has told their families to ban both the assholes from their funeral, not allow them to speak, not allow them to sit at the front of the church. I know for a fact that Marty only showed up as a photo op at the last two. It was sickening. Threatening the cops that tried to keep him out with their jobs. Ugly, cheap, disgusting. I could go on. I'm sure I'm not the only witness to that, there were plenty of people around.
How much is Diane Denish paying you guys??? You guys are sick!
I have laid down the gauntlet for Mayor Marty on my blog; I've insisted that he walk his talk by posting a manpower roster on the city's website.
It is time for him to put up or shut up on public records requests.
Ooh Nooo, O'l Shed Spread MacQuack has posted something on "his blog". I'm sure the Mayor is just quaking in his boots......How may hits do you get on your blog? 5 more than this rag? Some gauntlet.
I propose a mixed martial arts and debate venue to raise money for Police Kevlar Vests. We should be protecting our cops with the BEST armor the polis can obtain, not the cheapest.
In ancient times, the "polis" was the beating heart, the working hands, the sword bearing arms of countries with democratic ideals. The cops of the time were soldier/farmer/builder/all-around-badasses. That is what we expect of our cops, our firemen, our military. The mass of America sits while a few badasses fight on the home and war front.
Lets get a bunch of guys together who will fight and debate, like the cops do every day on the street, and the proceeds go to buying the best damn armor around.
YOU try switching from Verbal Judo to CPI Non-Violent Intervention to a law enforcement model of force application in split seconds. These guys debate and flow into physical arrest/restraint EVERY hour of EVERY day they work. See how many 42s an average 34 writes at APD EVERY DAY - lots of damn reports, each one important, and each one with the potential to go from officer presence to deadly force in protection of life INSTANTLY.
AGAIN - lets get these guys the best armor AVAILABLE.
I will put my noggin on the line intellecually and physically to raise money for vests and AFLAC for cops: any takers, I'll kick yer butt! Or try anyway.
NOT ANONYMOUS
Joseph Lopez
http://thoughtholder.blogspot.com/
Joseph, you are a bad ass, and at least are offering a solution.
If you are not part of the solution, you ARE part of the problem. I say do it Joseph, you go boy!
OK...so the idea here as I am getting it is that if you can't beat them intellectually you get to beat their asses? Cool. So where do I send in my donation...I am opting out of getting my butt kicked this week and my brain is drained, but I'll be rooting for you!
Pretty close! You have to get your butt kicked BOTH intelectually and physically! I can tell you NO ONE WINS a prize fight. The guy who gets his hand put up? Nose hurts for WEEKS. Ribs a tender mess of not breathing right. And say you win district and qaulify for state in cross Ex debate and extemp then screw everything up royally once you are there. Yeah, me, that describes me. There is always someone more badass than whoever in some way. We learn from ass kickings as well as issuing and delivering said rear-end impacts.
I am not trying to advocate theoretical evisceration and thorough ass kickings of those who piss you off, UNLESS we can make money to buy vests for cops with the proceeds, you see? All legal like. No one participates who is not williing to debate and fight.
WILLING exposure of self to intellectual and physical danger to benefit others, like the cops do for us every day.
And until someone takes me serious, send money to the APOA, the organization that helps protects the rights of albuquerque cops.
http://www.abqpoa.org/
ok. will do.
The APOA only helps a select few-guess what, if you are reading this it is not you!!!
"I worry all the time that my husband might be on a call and the closest backup is miles away."
You're right, we need to move those Doughnut shops closer together!!! More Doughnut shops!!!!!!!!!!! :)
hey joe from a police officer i thank you, and keep up the good ideas and work. for the person that said move the donut shops closer together, your a worthless piece of crap, do us a favor don't call us when something goes wrong you seem to be a smart guy, you deal with it.
Jeez! the last good an honorable APD was the one run by Bob Stover.
How come you guy's dropped your "Vote of no confidence" against the Chief? And why when you guys have the Mayor bent over, supposedly when he beat his wife or when he was drunk driveing don't you take it to the hilt .....? If those two cases happened those might have been the "ANSWER" to APD's current problems.
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