The scandal even claimed one victim, Chief Gilbert Gallegos, who was fired and then drawn and quartered in a 1,000 page report for failing to "launch an immediate criminal investigation into the alleged thefts from the evidence room, despite the recommendation of senior staff" (ABQ Journal - Subscription). The mayor then brought in current Chief Ray Schultz then lured former Sheriff Joe Bowdich out of retirement to lend credibility to the APD makeover that was supposedly underway.
We have been concerned that the moves by the media conscious mayor were more about creating the impression of fixing the problems than about actually correcting them. Our Eyes tell us that we were right to be suspicious. You see, it seems that the media spectacle created for the benefit of the masses hasn't resulted in the elimination of the underlying problems.
According to our Eyes the APD evidence room is still a sloppily run outfit. Evidence is often mis-tagged, misplaced, and improperly recorded. Evidence including money and jewelry can often be found on the floor with no indication where it came from or which case it belongs to.
Most disturbingly, the Eyes have it that when a defense attorney for Brandon Craig visited the APD evidence room to review their client's case evidence, many of the items were missing.
(Sidebar)Anyone who has ever watched a single episode of Law and Order knows that the first thing any defense attorney will claim is that the evidence no longer in the prosecution's possession or that is not made available to the defense is somehow exculpatory. The evidence room's main function is to make sure that any evidence stored within its confines remains secure, in good condition, and can be found for trial.
Brandon Craig stands accused of the 1999 murders of Kevin Shirley, Luis Garcia, and Matthew Hunt. Craig was arrested back in November after BCSO cold case detectives took a fresh look at the case and found enough evidence for the arrest. Read more about the investigation in the Albuquerque Journal (Subscription) here.
(End Sidebar)
APD seems incapable or unwilling to correct the chronic problems associated with the evidence unit. Perhaps that's what happens when the Chief of Police hired to clean up the evidence room used to be in charge of the evidence room. That's certainly what happens when the mayor decides to fix a public relations problem during an election, rather than fixing the very real systemic problem in the evidence room.
36 comments:
The evidence room again? Just to remind you that this Mayor and or a majority of voters do not care that a Killer of 3 people will probably walk because of evidence issues. What seems to be of the upmost importance to most is Red Light Scameras,Smoking, talking on my cell while driving, and oooh yeah if my dog still has his NUTS or not ........! Just thought I would get that out there. That's why we have the VIGILS,The Las Vegas School Board members, Teresa Cordova, etc. etc. etc.. Welcome To NUEVO MEXICO !
Is this a new problem with the evidence room again?
Yes. Mis managed evidence, money missing ETC. Etc. Etc
A new report seems to have been filed and are trying to keep it under wraps.
Dead bodies with cinder blocks on their ankles doesn't work here. The Rio Grande is only 2 feet deep.
Oh but yet another scandal for the press to expose OR ignor.
Yep - just read that the APS security police have similar issues. They're solution is to turn over their evidence room to the APD! eye-carumba!!!!
You are all fricking nuts. Oh wait! Maybe Brad Winter and the Blue Ribon Panel (of which he is a member)all conspired together to cover up what never existed? Maybe Brad is in bed with Marty??? The way you people think? Just maybe...........
what? ??
Ask the "Lie on Albuquerque" when was the last time they were at the APD Evidence room? I've been there many times and never saw these types of problems they describe. My bet is that they have never been there & are relying on gossip. That's the difference between this rag tag bunch of morons and a true journalist. Gil a victim? Hell he was up to his neck in it, he deserved to be fired. Shit, he was banging one of the women involved in that mess, that's why he took no action. Following his firing, his wife left him & filed for divorce. He now lives with the former PD female employee he was doing. Yes, the same employee involved in the scandal.....
If we hear of evidence room misdeeds under the current Chief, I don't think we'll be surprised. And if we don't, it doesn't mean that they haven't happened, just that Ray is smarter at cover-up than Gil was. After all, this is the same Ray that has redefined an "accident at an intersection" to be contained within the crosswalk lines, therefore excluding all the rear-endings that are occuring throughout the city due to panic stops at the Scamera-equiped intersections from being included in the accident statistics for those intersections.
So for all you defenders of King Marty and Prince Ray calling the rest of us "morons" or worse, I say make your Hero(s) prove to us that they aren't dirty by letting some "sunshine" into City Hall's 5th and 11th floors.
First poster.....LMAO....don't forget our glorious former secretary of state Vigil de Giron who now works for the voting machine industry!!!
So, if you can't prove that there is anything wrong at the evidence room it proves that there is something wrong and that they are just better at covering it up? Humm, interesting theory. I hope that the folks sitting on your jury don't use your logic in judging your fate.....
Please stop this kind of commenting. It does nothing to advance the discussion.
To the annonymous poster who said that s/he has first hand knowledge of the inside of the evidence room; I would like to ask you a question.
If the evidence room is clean; why can't a reporter walk in anytime they want and ask questions?
I think there has to be a good reason to (need to) hide the truth.
RED LIGHT CAMERA $100.00
SPEED VAN CITATION $150.00
MARTY AND HIS MERRY BAND OF CON MEN OUT OF OFFICE FOREVER PRICELESS!!!!
GOD I PRAY FOR THOSE FAMLIES WHO HAVE LOST THIER LOVED ONES
"To the annonymous poster who said that s/he has first hand knowledge of the inside of the evidence room; I would like to ask you a question"...................
IT's an EVIDENCE ROOM, Not Chuck E Cheese. You can't just throw open the doors and invite people to just take a stroll & poke around like a day at the mall. Every freekin lawyer in town would be lining up to file motions saying the place isn't secure. Get real, this is not an episode of CSI, grow up! and get over it....
that's what I thought.
Anonymous said...
IT's an EVIDENCE ROOM, Not Chuck E Cheese. You can't just throw open the doors and invite people to just take a stroll & poke around like a day at the mall.
You are a stooopid moron. There is a difference between disallowing legitimate inspection and opening the room up like a mall.
Are you pretending not to understand the question or are you really that stooooopid?
Did you really not understand the question? Are you to stooopid to recognize people hiding the truth?
Perhaps you and the guy who is so obsessed with don schroeders piss, should email each other with your pathetic contributions to and leave the legitmate discussion up to those who are able.
To the anonymous poster who said that....
"IT's an EVIDENCE ROOM, Not Chuck E Cheese. You can't just throw open the doors and invite people to just take a stroll......"
By the same token, if it is ship-shape, then there shouldn't be any problem for an escorted tour through the stacks by bona-fide reporters from recognized news organizations. I'll bet that's not gonna happen without weeks of advanced warning, if at all.
However, if Chief Ray were to allow a surprise visit from Larry Barker and camera, or another auditor of credibility, and they reported "all's well", then we could put this current thread to bed.
But then, that would be allowing "sunshine" into City Hall and they'll be having none of that!!
Larry Barker? credible? Now there's a guy who would really like do be in a position of drinking warm piss with Don Schrader.........If you know what I mean????? So put that in ur pipe and smoke it "Sunshine". I'm sure the Chief would be happy to let you stop on by & take a peek...NOT! Sorry better go back to bashing RedFlex & paying your fines.......
Signed,
Chuck E
What is obsession with Don Shrader?
Must be your fantacy.
Stop commenting Paul. You've retired already. Go fade away into the
sunset. take your little man syndrome and your foul mouth where it belongs.
"out of sight, out of mind".
The rank and and file are glad you're gone.
Yeah, go hook up with your pal Don.
No way Paul, Larry already beat you to him, sorry. There's always Geraldine or Shed Spread McQuackers.
Bunch of girls with badges you all are acting like.
Watch it mister, I resemble that remark! I prefer "Bitch with a weapon"........
wway too much talk about Don Shrader here.......
Hey, lets start a petition. We would like to see Larry and Don do a show on the evidence room together? Sounds like waay fun....You want to join us Joe?
the idea of Don wandering around the evidence room in his loincloth trying to steal the weed while being filmed for a his public access show sounds great! And Larry following him around with his camera crew looking for a reason to blame this whole thing on some cop instead of the civilians who caused it or the Captain who failed to fix it way back when she was assigned to. Sounds like high ratings!!
...to the loser making negative comments about the police women trying to fix the problems in the evidence room, at least they demonstarted the courage to stand up to a bunch of man whores!!! The good old boy system is still alive and well in APD. Even the last female Captain at APD, Bev took an early retirement becuase she saw the writing on the wall!!! SMART LADY, she recognized the glass ceiling when she hit it!
hmmmm -- would that be you Cindy? The female mentioned in that post was a commander given carte blanche to fix the evidence room issues, she then ran around saying no body was fixing the issues (i.e. the equivelent of complaining that no one is doing YOUR OWN job). When she got called on it she magically became a "whistle blower" and media darling. Meanwhile a couple of decent guys were brought down to the point where they were slammed into a glass ceiling forcibly and against their will. She and her ilk directly created a web of deceit to keep a couple of innocent guys from further promotion and it probably kept one of them from becoming the next chief after Gil got canned. It should be noted that some of that individual's lies were sworn to in an internal investigation and she should have been terminated when they proved it was lies. But instead the city bent backwards, in part because they feared being sued BECAUSE she was a female. THey got sued anyway, any idea how that is going? Or are you her? I hear the city wont settle(?) Sorry if I my grammer is a tad off but this sort of pissed me off.
From one who was there and KNOWS the truth cause' I saw it with my own g--damn eyes, and aint none of it got anything to do with female vs male, it had to do strictly with political posturing!!!
Gil was not a leader. He let his commanders do things that showed APD was out of control. I think all the command staff, at that time, bore responsibility. Sisi may not have done everything right, but the comments made by the 3 DCOP's regarding her were absolutely unprofessional and way out of line.
Every commander at APD at that time owns what was going on. I am afraid if there are not core changes in how APD runs and what is allowed this will all happen again.
Bev, Left for one reason only, A better job with her retirement as a bonus. Dont talk about something you know nothing about.
ooooh YOU KNOW EVERYTHING .....! Please. Just stop. WHO CARES. All the Pulblic knows to be true is this. DRUGS, Money, and Other things came up missing once in APD's possesion. If you wear the uniform we can't tell who was where, when, and why all we (the public) know is APD stole, or took the evidence. PERIOD.
Dude all the Don Schrader talk? He is way buff and cut and tanned up. Maybe APD and AFD can consult with him for fitness advise for some of their Fat Assed old fucks on the job. It can't be safe/healthy for them fat fucks to be serving ME in a public safety position. After all It IS ALL ABOUT ME.
No my friend, that's where you are wrong. It's about community! Your "it's all about me" attitude is what's wrong with this place!
2 posts up, buff, cut,,,tan. Don't forget warm urine drinker...Don likes guys, from the sounds of your comments maybe you two should hook up, Dude......
you people are out of your minds, with all of you smack talk. please stick to the real issue, missing evidence? Is this true or is this all just made up to stir the pot?, get back at certain people? I have heard from insiders that things have come up missing, but without a surprise public investigation, we will never know! Sad.
You were right, it's all made up. This BS is just a way to get back at certain people & stir the pot. There is nothing missing.
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