Public Safety Director, Darren White, Gets “Burro” Award

Channel 4 News reported this morning that property crime is down in the City by 18%. Public Safety Director, Darren White, was interviewed on camera. White lauded how APD has arrested several hundred offenders for property crime offenses. White stated, “You, ya, ya, you can’t have crime control until you have criminal control.” The Eye is not sure if White was serious or poking fun at “Porky Pig.” In any event his statement did not make any sense to anyone other than to himself. It is not so much what White said, but what he did not say. Why didn’t the on-duty APD PIO speak? Why didn’t Chief Schultz speak? Chris Ramirez? Anybody, anybody?

What White did not say was the underlying reason for the high property crimes that is plaguing Albuquerque. It is common knowledge that most property crimes are drug addicted users and this is the reason for the high property crimes here in the City. The City needs to address the real reason for the high property crimes and deal with that issue. These “criminals” are addicted to drugs. They need real help. They may never have been thieves before or ever thought about committing a crime. Drugs make people do things that they would never consider doing like prostitution, shoplifting, identity theft, burglaries or petty larcenies. The property crime issues would resolve itself by proxy. The recidivism rate is high because these people get arrest, released and return to the only life they know; the life of crime. Correct the underlying problem and all criminal related offenses would drop significantly.

Some of our Eyes behind the badge have told us that APD’s top command has been ordering some officers and teams not to investigate narcotics because, “This is not the focus of this Administration.” Yet, the citizens all know that narcotics are at an all time high in the City and in our schools. Strangely enough, White did not release the hard numbers with documentation to substantiate the claim of an 18% decrease in property crimes. Just because a City official says something does not made it so.

The Eye realizes that White is trying hard to legitimize his position by stepping in and doing the job of others who are already employed and paid to handle those functions. Notwithstanding, White needs to educate himself before he speaks; otherwise he makes himself and the Berry administration look like a bunch of “Burro’s.” This is why the Eye has awarded DARREN P. WHITE, the prestigious “Burro” Award.