The Piercing Truth

This is right from the dictionary and seems to describe Albuquerque, Berry and Schultz. Fascism (f ash ,izem) noun An authoritarian right wing system of government and/or social organization. (in general use) extreme right wing, authoritarian, chauvinistic and/or intolerant views or practices. Fascism tends to include a belief in the supremacy of one group over another, national, ethnic, especially social strata or monetarily; a contempt for democracy, an insistence on obedience to a powerful leader, and a strong demagogic approach. Compliments of one of our Eyes

Nov 4, 2012

OVER SEVEN MILLION HOURS OF EXPERIENCE MAY BE WALKING OUT THE DOOR AT APD

Less than a year ago, our friends at KOAT-7 broadcasted a story on the "APD Hiring Crisis" (LINK HERE). In that story, which primarily consisted of interviews not with APD recruiters, trainers, or APD Chief Ray Schultz or any deputy chief, but with Albuquerque Journal reporter Jeff Proctor, much was made of what kind of officers were being hired by APD and NOT about the fact that there are fewer officers than ever.

As current and retired officers continue to advise us, sworn personnel are leaving at a rate 10x higher than new officers are being hired. THAT is a crisis. New Mexico in general and Albuquerque in particular has floundered with any economic growth since RJ Berry and Susana Martinez taking office DESPITE surrounding states and comparable cities all moving forward. Even El Paso, has had positive growth. Yet here the economy remains stagnant and people are fatigued with the lies of Mayor Berry and Chief Schultz.

In the past few years, when Chief Schultz was confronted personnel shortage concerns the headlines looked like this:

"APD Requests $1Million for Recruiting" AJ 4/19/07
"APD Adjusts Hiring Goal" AJ 12/27/07
"APD Has Grown, but the Number of Officers Assigned to Service Calls Decreased" AJ 5/6/07
"APD Ranks Down from '07" AJ 4/21/08

And in response Chief Schultz modified patrol officer schedules to 5-eight hour shifts from 4-ten hour shifts and opened up the Northwest Area Command. Yet despite all this, and as the Eye reported at the beginning of the year, the number of officers assigned to patrol are at levels not seen since the mid-1990s. Officer now assigned to the field advise us that at most there are 330 officers assigned to the field which is spread out over the sixty squads throughout the six area commands. This means each squad on average has 5.5 officers in it leaving at MOST 16 officers assigned to take calls. That's 16 officers in each area command per shift. Sixteen.

But now, in true Schultzian fashion, Ray Schultz has said the 200 officers who have left simply don't matter. Really? Are officers mere widgets that can be replaced with new personnel upon retirement? Is that why APD's academy is almost six months long? Is that why recruit officers are on OJT for 3 months? Is that why recruit officers are on probationary status for a year? Studies and veteran officers both agree that it takes at least five years for an officer to mature. There used to be a time in APD where one could not even look at a unit such as SWAT without having ten years on. Now the minimum requirement is; non-probationary.

Law enforcement is one of the few professions where there is a never ending learning curve. Senior officers possess an incredible amounts of knowledge, skills, and abilities and other characteristics that are not simply replaced with new widget officers. An officer eligible to retire has over 18 years of experience and with the loss of 200 officers....over 37,440 hours per officer of knowledge, skills, and experience disappear. Poof! Gone! Cumulatively, if all 200 officers retire, it is a grand total of 7,488,000 hours lost. And while officers seem to remain on the job until death in virtually every other major city police department in the Country regardless of retirement benefits, here they are leaving as soon as they can. And our Eyes in PERA have told us, any suggestion that a financial door is closing compelling officers to retire is inaccurate and untrue as no such changes are scheduled to take effect until 2016. In other words, they are leaving because of Schultz and Berry NOT because of PERA.

Any competent manager knows that your experienced personnel are your most economical. They know how to do things the right way the first time and cause less errors. Chief Schultz seems to think fewer officers with all the department's "high technology" will supplant the retiring officers. Really? Since most of that technology is failing to work OR not implemented how so? And will that technology withstand scrutiny in the courts? And will those officers be available for court? Or has APD simply become an agency focused on making arrests instead of building solid cases? Our Eyes tell us not one, or two, but up to five lieutenants have had enough and are challenging Chief Schultz's policy with a group lawsuit. But for the time being, experience continues to leak out the door. And while in years past Chief Schultz's response was to increase the size of the department, here he has failed to take action. (Remember "Speed of Trust" Chief? Being inconsistent is not an attribute in case you forgot.)

We're sure that questions such as these will NOT be asked of Chief Schultz. Given that on the one hand he conveniently side-steps significant and complex cases such as the West-Mesa murders, organized high profile prostitution criminal rings and related murders, Mexican cartel related homicides, internet piracy rings, and public corruption in favor of violating his own officer's civil rights or grandstanding on his moving walker while failing to prosecute his own cases we can expect more of the same: LIES and deflection.

There's one thing we know is true however...the buck does not stop with Chief Schultz, it is deflected or LIED about.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

16 officers per watch on maybe 1 day a month when all three squads overlap and few are. Otherwise 10-11 34s is the norm.

Anonymous said...

I heard all the homeless men in Albuquerque have been to Virginia.

Anonymous said...

APD is not the only Department in a "manpower" meltdown. Fire Chief Breen is about to prside over a similar mass departure in December, BUT NO ONE reports. The Fire academy is not keeping up with retirements and there is an ackowlged gap in service on the West side.

Anonymous said...

Ref AFD post....send your info to Eye....

Anonymous said...

PD to all Sergeants be advised I have 15 calls holding. 5 priority 1's : 5 priority 2's and the rest I will try and get the PSA's to handle..... It's a mess out there and all that we see of Power DMS are openings and transfers to go inside. We need help in the field immediately...... PLEASE....

Anonymous said...

The young officers are leaving in droves as well. Who would want to put up with this amount of bull shit? Oh wow 25.18 an hour, thats not even enough to live comfortable. Hope this is what you wanted. All of you in bred oxygen thiefs that show up to city hall complaining that we shoot to many people, or now tase to many people. Well, your getting what you wanted which is no officers on the street, or officers who no longer care. Go ahead break into that house or car. I dont care I'll read my book and I wont respond untill he is gone, becasue if I arrive to soon I might have to use force and that's not what the 5th floor would want. So let the crime run rampant. We are beaten down and no longer care.

Anonymous said...

To 5:46

Speak for yourself you punk ass b!tc#. You took an oath to serve the citizens. An oath to better our community that we live in. Yeah the Admin sucks and makes our lives miserable but you have to knuckle up you little weasle. If I was one of your FTO's I'd smack you in the back of your greased, Jersey shore little head. Where are we getting these punks??

Anonymous said...

Thank god they brought back the college requirement and a Kinder Care Academy. Albuquerque is on track for total destruction. Good luck to you guys and girls out there trying to keep us safe. Albuquerque needs so many more Officers. I for one am tired of getting my shit ripped off.

Anonymous said...

AND all you are going to see is all of these new pussies putting in to go inside. They want a new soft charmin cop, and that is what they are going to get. God help the citizens of Albuquerque.

Anonymous said...

Yeah and cops that run to their guns when they get scared.

Anonymous said...

Where are the Sergeant's in all of this? Within the last two years they have promoted over 60 and are planning on promoting 35 more. While I understand that they do not have much say so with policy, they do have an influence on the officers that work their shift (including the ones that milk calls). Why are they not sending e-mails to the LT's concerning manning levels? The e-mails are public information and can be gotten via an IPRA request. I believe there are hard working officers and Sergeants working for APD, they just need a little guidance on how to professionally force of the hand of the administration. It would be relatively easy for anyone to make an IPRA request of e-mails from all supervisors that are addressed to other supervisors. It would be interesting to see what is contained there, the same with the department issued cell phones.

Anonymous said...

The sergeants are all busy looking over lapel camera videos to make sure their troops are doing everything correctly.. Its a joke some sergeants are in the SUB all day doing admin crap..... Its sad...

Anonymous said...

well at least the sergeants are finally doing something other than sleeping with subordinates and causing drama! Let em sit in the sub, its better off for all anyways.

Anonymous said...

Everyone wants someone else to do something. I have never seen a bigger bunch of pussies who let corruption run rampant, while they use the excuse of "I have a family to worry about" to get out of standing up for themselves. Yea, you have a family and your job involves chasing armed criminals but you don't cry about that.

BadAttitude said...

APD: the All Pussy Department.

Anonymous said...

APD = Another Punked Deputy

The deputy that looks like the turtle head poking out.

Hahahahahahaha.

Anonymous said...

Feist retiring

Anonymous said...

APD = Almost Police Department

APD = Another Person Dead

Anonymous said...

APD = Another Public Denial

Anonymous said...

The more senior officers are just educated on the law but the way to go around it!

When you ask an officer their name (even Sgt level) and you are told to shut up or you will be arrested and you say for what and the answer is on anything we want to say.. something is wrong!

APd is just Albuquerque police Damage!