Albuquerque’s Police Chief, Ray Schultz, released this statement by saying, “I am disappointed and want to make it clear that it is a privilege to wear an Albuquerque Police Department uniform, and anyone who tarnishes it will be fired.” We here at the Eye found this statement to be shocking and clearly hypocritical. Schultz was convicted of violating the civil rights of former APD Officer Costales in November of 2009, in the United States Federal District Court. The jury found that Schultz personally violated Costales’ rights, as did APD itself. If this officer “tarnished the Albuquerque Police Department’s uniform” what exactly did Schultz’s civil rights violation do the uniform? Should Schultz face the same fate as Kindle?
Former Officer Costales witnessed several Bernalillo County Sheriff’s deputies abusing one of Albuquerque’s local prominent family members belonging to the Racing Team of the Unser’s. Former Sheriff Darren White complained to Schultz about Costales breaking the “Blue Wall of Silence.” Schultz initiated several retaliatory actions that were ruled by the jury as a violation of Costales’ civil rights. Thanks to “Santa Schultz” (as we kindly refer to him as), for his civil rights violations; Costales walked out of the court room with a mountain of cash. The jury awarded Costales $662,000.00 in damages and an addition $200.000.00 in attorneys fees. That’s a total of $862,000.00. This does not include the thousands of dollars it cost the city to prepare for trail. Oh, former Sheriff Darren White settled with Costales early on for a mere $30,000.00.
Was Schultz disciplined? No. Was Schultz decertified by the State Law Enforcement Board? No. Did anything happen to Schultz? No. Schultz violated another human beings civil rights and cost the City Of Albuquerque $862,000.00. His reward you ask? No discipline, no accountability, and his buddy, Darren White made sure he stayed as chief with a $140,000.00 a year salary, plus benefits. What a deal! Does anyone see anything wrong with this?
If “What’s Good for the Goose is Good for the Gander,” when comparing these two; one has been convicted of retaliation in a federal civil rights violation case in the United States Federal District Court and the other stands accused of inappropriate contact. One was given the keys to the city and the other is going to be given the ax. Where is the equality in treatment?
You get to be the judge at this point…
Even "Santa Schultz" wonders why...
27 comments:
" Darren White settled with Costales for a mere $30,000"
Yes he settled FOR $30,000 of our money, the taxpayers money. He should have been reprimanded , fired or forced to pay it back to the County.
AND YET, we give this MF PRICK a $75,000 MF contract . Pay the taxpayer back out of that contract $ you just got,BASTARD.
Mayor MayBERRY (Barney Fife of Albuquerque) says; "Oh no, we're cleaning up our house". "I don't see the department in crises".
"We don't need another investigation". "We're on the right track". "Things should settle down after about 6 more killings and civil rights violations". "Darren is gone now, we don't need no stinking DOJ in here messing with us." I'll just VETO the City Council's vote" Why? because uh, uh, Ray told me to"
Mayor; about 20 'R's met privately for lunch today, out of the city limits and you sir have been officially deemed the 'JACKASS' of the Republican Party.
You are giving the Democrats more and more power and ammunition every time you get out of bed and walk into the 11th floor.
Can anyone spell RESIGNATION?
27 years it took us to get City Hall back and you just pissed it away.
Have a nice weekend
Personally, I think they should both be fired. What Kindle did was beyond wrong. What Schultz did was beyond wrong. No one is perfect, but violating someones civil rights, and have sex with ANYONE while on duty is just plain wrong. Get rid of the trash, clean up the department and get back down to business. The only people suffering from actions such as these are the citizens of ABQ. Enough is enough!
The 'blue wall of silence' is a big reason why I view all levels of law enforcement with a great deal of skepticism and why I personally donate as much as I can afford to the ACLU. Who else will protect us from the police? Officer Costales seems to be an exception and I am grateful to him for his courage.
SO I HEAR THAT NEW SWAT LT IS NEWLY PROMOTED SGT; NEW LIKE 3 WEEKS. OH I FORGOT WE ARE CLEANING OUR HOUSE. REALLY JUST MORE DIRTY MOPS LAYING AROUND.
As much as I hate to side with a cop that has done something wrong, why should they lose their job when Ray Schultz didn't. I would sue for disparate treatment. Ray Schultz needs to be fired for what he did and any other officer or any one complicit in illegal behavior needs to face the music as well. What a hypocrite Berry is. He's a total loser.
Look at the court transcripts from the Costales trial - Ray lied under oath. I say that because he said one thing, Candelaria said something else. He was found GUILTY why didn't someone file something with the LE Board - oh because he is on that board and so are his buds. PLEASE DOJ come in and clean house. This culture starts at the top. Now it is infecting the State (Darren and his new contract). Someone needs to have some integrity and protect the citizens for this type of corruption, which breeds and eventually affects the citizens.
Why the Mayor cannot see the writing on the wall is beyond me. He has got to know that Schultz is the problem with APD everyone else does. He just cannot admit that he made a mistake keeping him in gthe first place. Therre goes his nose to spite his face. I am pissed as you should be.
Liars under oath. Guess that means nothing new hear in New Mexico.
In any other state where people spot a liar and a thief, they act,the follow the rule of law and perpetrators are punished to the full extent of the law.
That's why people of a certain ilk can live here, practice their dirty deeds and get away with it. Darren took Berry under his wing, not the other way around , and those who stand by this man will be in for a rude awakening. What makes any of you think that he will not betray you as well?
Again, in any other state they would all be wearing leg irons picking up litter on the interstate like along I-95 in Florida, and not being rewarded with fat political contracts.
Well in third world states like New Mexico, where rules and laws don't apply to the ones who rule, it is those same rulers who wind up at the hands of their subjects.
Never a good outcome
Why does TJ Wilham have a safe deposit box? What's in it and why does Peaches have a key?
Dah, I donno. Dah!
Don't forget Flora Aragon. Who is she? Well she is the grandmother who was sitting in her own backyard when an probationary APD officer, driving without this lights on, slammed through her backyard and killed her.
Ray Schultz did not fire that probationary officer. Ray Schultz asked Brandenburg not to indict that officer. All Ray did was give that officer 3 weeks off. The city paid our money to the family (around $500,000) to make it all go away.
A woman lost her life because a probationary officer didn't have the maturity to handle a police car. Yet Ray did nothing. This guy is still a cop. And now Ray wants to fire Doyle for fighting for his life with a wanted Aryan Brotherhood member?
Albuquerque Police gets nuttier everytime I turn around.
Somebody in the media, or at a council meeting please put Ray on the spot and ask him about Flora Aragon and why that officer was not fired. I think if we keep putting Ray on the spot like Brad did, maybe he will just go away.
This is not the only incident that Schultz should be fired for. So many things happen behind closed doors on the 5th floor, but the public does not get to see that side. The Chief burns some officers and not others, it only matters to him what makes him look good to the public eye. Well, what comes around goes around and I dont think he can lie to the public anymore.
Question to poster August 19, 2011 10:43:00 PM MDT...
Why was this officer driving fast? Was he on his way to a call?
If so, would having his lights and sirens on made a difference?
Not to be insensitive, because I DO feel for your loss, I do. However, how would him having his lights on enable this woman to move out of his way?
Accidents happen, It's an everyday fact of life. Although Ray Shultz is a POS, how is this a violation on his part?
Post things here, but do not expect cops to be Jesus Christ. No one is...people may think they are, but no one is perfect. I'm sure you yourself are guilty of a few things in your own life.
Darren: "I will make this right. Don't you worry." Ever remember stating those words, babe?
The past is about ready to bite you square in the ass. Don't forget who you accused and don't forget who you said it to.
Officers/Detectives of APD need to stick together.The majority of the public hates us,the supervisors are looking to make names for themselves by jamming up cops and the administration has no faith in us.Hold strong, document everything and know we have eachother......
To 10:43,
Good question. This officer was driving without his headlights on at about midnight. He also did not have his overhead lights on. He was passing cars on the left. Because he did not have any lights at all on, another car never saw him approaching. That car turned left (in front of him, both cars were going the same direction) as he approached. When the other car turned left it forced the police car into a cinderblock wall. The officers car then plowed through the cinderblock wall and crushed the grandmother under it. She was sitting at a table in her backyard.
I don't know if the officer was going to a call or not. I don't think it really mattered. He didn't get there and an innocent person died. I have spoken to many officers who all say he should have had his headlights on. These officers all said that you don't go driving and passing cars without headlights.
I don't think police officers are instructed to drive without any lights on at night. I am sure they are not instructed to pass other vehicles with headlights on.
Flora Aragon died. Schultz held no one accountable. What is probationary time periods for? Schultz owns all the problems at APD. He is the problem. Time for him to go.
I thought this article was going to talk about a cop making a horrible, irresponsible decision but instead it moves to discuss Schultz, Darren and Mayberry. We already know those 3 are disgraces, and now there's another one to add to the list. Kindle's behavior justifies him as being fired. What a disgrace..another one.
The problems is - why wasn't Ray Schultz fired when he broke the law? Why is there a cover up for every dirty deed Darren is involved in? Even when he lands in a pile of s**t he comes out smelling like a rose. That's the problem - fair treatment for every cop who breaks the law!!!
When you develop an environment where cops can tell on other bad cops you will promote a department with integrity that the public can respect. It starts at the top and if they would get rid of them the rest will come.
"When you develop an environment where cops can tell on other bad cops you will promote a department with integrity that the public can respect."
amen brother, you are exactly right, and until that happens the police will not earn back the public trust.
Wrong. That system already exists. Anyone can file a complaint on anyone. Its unfortunate that some officers have made mistakes and they will be held accountable. Hopefully in a fair and justifible way. Otherwise the officers will loose respect for the system. What must happen is that someone must rise to educate the "public" on reality. If you have 100 officers and one screws up then you have 1% that is making mistakes. If you have 1,000 officers and 10 screw up then you still have 1% screwing up. Guess what...there hasnt been 10 screw ups in a year...not bad. The shootings...are what they are. The sytem of checks in balances have cleared them yet the lynch mob still calls for hanging. Maybe some day people will realize what real corruption is and know that they are fortunate here to have officers that are some of the best in the country. Remember...the Sheep never like the sheep dogs because they keep them in line...until the wolves are knocking and then they are thier best friends.
He was enroute to a domestic and wanted to make sure the suspect didn't leave, escape, so he drove w/o the benefit of lights and didn't run code to the call. As far as Doyle goes, he did the city a favor by getting that Ayaran criminal POS off the streets (for now).
"He was enroute to a domestic and wanted to make sure the suspect didn't leave, escape, so he drove w/o the benefit of lights and didn't run code to the call."
So you agree in your own words the Officer in question broke the law?
The problem people (citizens) have with APD is they think their training/SOG's or SOP's trump State/City laws and statutes. Not just with this event but just about all others they are involved with.
Please recite the State of New Mexico traffic statute or law (State/County/City) that allows ANY certified law enforcement or public safety agency to drive or operate their vehicle "without the benefit of lighs"? When you find that statute please find the one that pertains to driving with "due regard for others on the road" also cite the MPH public safety vehicles are allowed to drive beyond the posted speed limit while responding to an emergency. Thanks!
Department training, SOG's/SOP's DO NOT circumvent laws. The Officer in question and APD used the fear tactic defence of "he was on his way to a domestic violence call". Which is no defense at all. I cite the Reagensburg case in defence of my statement.
Your entitled to your opinion but not your own facts.
Until ALL members of APD from the top down understand that bad decisions made by any and all persons wearing a badge may or could result in termination but also criminal/civil litigation against them personally and the Officer(s) should have to foot the bill instead of the system they have in place now, the taxpayer pays to defend these poor decisions.
I guarantee you, once an Officer is terminated and looses not only his career but his PERA due to a civil lawsuit that he had to defend himself without city legal. Then and only then will you see better decisions from the top down.
You never pass vehicles, at night, without lights on. He didn't make it to the call and a woman died, I think that is proof enough that he should not have been driving that way.
The thin blue line erodes the public trust - no two ways about it.
If you allow each other to break the law with impunity, how are you any better than common criminals yourself? How are police officers putting themselves above the law, any different that criminals putting themselves above the law.
Costales' suit proved beyond reasonable doubt; the line exists.
The rank and file are as much responsible as the leadership.
imho
Shultz has a track record of going after officers who stand up for what is MORALLY right. Shultz went after costalas for his testimony against bcso. He targeted ahrensfield for his testimony in camachos case. There is more out there than what the public knows.
Public Trust went to hell in a hand basket the day Blue-Berry muffin retained Schultz and appointed a buffoon like Darren. What an incompetent .
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