History Repeats Itself

In a report detailing a police department that had lost control of itself and the support of its community, there are several key factors that reveal why the department was in the state it was in.
 

1. An apparent failure to control or discipline officers in a consistent standardized manner.
 

2. A department's "culture" towards violence and the citizens it serves.
 

3. The difficulties of public encounters in attempting to make complaints against the department.
 

4. The relationship between department leaders and oversight authorities.
 

5. Large ratios defining officers to citizens and officers per square mile.
 

You see, this department had melted down. Discipline upon supervisors was virtually unheard of. "We failed miserably to hold supervisors accountable for excessive force by officers under their command," one assistant chief remarked. And actions and words by the officers supported the notion that they held their citizens in contempt.

In terms of actions by officers, of the department where there were over 8500 officers documented incidents of force over a four year period revealed that 1800 had 1 incident, 1400 had 2 or more, 183 had 4 or more, 44 had 6 or more, 16 had 8 or more, 1 had 16 incidents of force.
 

Dialogue between officers on their patrol car MDT's also revealed their verbal contempt of citizens. Messages (in APD parlance...51s) expressed a desire to "capture him, beat him, treat him like dirt..." and to go down streets and "drive down...with a flame thrower...we would have a barbeque." And a desire for violence, "I almost got me a Mexican last night but he dropped the gun too quick, lost wit."
 

Officers in this department were also evaluated on statistical measures that assessed strict enforcement activities. The culture emphasized crime control whereby supervisors praised "hardnosed" activities such as arrests and citations.
 

Recruiting standard of officers to the department were frequently cast aside. Candidates were reviewed on their ability to take a test rather than a stringent background investigation. Despite knowing that the best predictor of future behavior is previous behavior, recruiters recommendations were cast aside and their abilities to do investigation were hampered by a "hire all" mentality. Recruiters witnessed "do not hire" repeat applicants getting hired.

 

Training of officers emphasized tactical skills and "hardnosed" activities. Training Officers assigned to train the new academy graduates in general had extensive complaint and use of force records.

 

Citizen complaint procedures were made virtually ineffective by an institutional process that made it daunting for citizens and skewed against them to file complaints, nevermind have them properly investigated. "Not Sustained" complaints ruled the day as investigators feebly attempted to contact witnesses and failed to document their efforts.
 

Officers investigated for excessive force incidents were disciplined less severely, if at all, than other officers investigated for conduct "unbecoming." Despite officer conduct which cost the department's city significant amounts of money, incidents of excessive force were rarely dealt with in any form of discipline. In incidents of shootings, officers were allowed pre-interviews and were frequently seen with other officers prior to their interviews and not isolated from their fellow colleagues and witnesses.  The department also embraced a "blue code of silence" whereby officers absolutely did not provide adverse information against a fellow officer.
 

If some of these issues sound familiar to Mayor Berry's Albuquerque Police Department, one shouldn't be surprised because all of these factors are indeed consistent with aspects of APD's operations. But this report was not about APD, this was the Christopher Commission Report back in 1991 regarding the LAPD (Here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Commission).
 

Under Schultz, and let's be clear, perpetuated by APD's new Interim Chief of Police, Allen Banks, LAPD is simply APD Lite. APD has been referred to as "the worst department in the country, the true bottom of the barrel" by chiefs and DOJ insiders. And in the context of this report, this statement is sadly true. And the differences are almost terrifying:
 

-In a force of less than 1000 officers, APD's use of force blows away LAPD's force statistics. From 2007-2011, 871 officers were involved in at least 1 use of force incident, 188 were involved in 5 or more, and 55 involved in 10 or more.
 

-Under Schultz and Banks, Officers have not only expressed crude remarks routinely via their MDT's regarding the citizens they serve but remark about African-Americans "NMAs" over the radio. Even in social media sites, officers remark about the citizens they serve in vile expression, "human waste disposal," "monkeys," "need to shoot somebody," and "place in hell.."

 

-Citizen police complaints rarely result in a finding of "Sustained" is nearly half of what LAPD reported with 2% of excessive force complaints resulting in a finding of "sustained."
 

-Except for cases brought to the attention of the media by us here at the EYE, supervisors simply do not get disciplined in APD (except if your name is Lt. Tim Lopez). 

-Fraternization runs amok in APD. As exemplified in open court at the Levi Chavez trial, casual sex amongst peers, supervisors/subordinates, and between sworn/civilian is rampant. Schultz and his command staff asserted that such conduct is simply "nature at play" and have engaged in such conduct themselves. And as exemplified in the Levi Chavez case, and the numerous officer suicides, failed to do anything.

-APD's "blue code of silence" is reinforced not only by a vindictive command staff but augmented by actual rules of conduct in the department's standard operating procedures that disallow any officer from documenting misconduct in writing. It is of such note that national experts have described APD's culture as a "blue WALL of silence."
 

-Discipline amongst officers is consistent in only that it is totally random in disparate. If you are outspoken and stand by your badge you will be annihilated. If you are a party loyalist, you will be protected; Period. Under Schultz and Banks, the department will go so far as to fabricate and inflate allegations of misconduct. From the incident involving the arrest of wanted murderer Nicolas Blume where the arresting officers Doyle and Woolever did not use deadly force to arrest a violent fleeing felon to the private expression of dissent by former officer Dawne Roberto, these officers were targeted for termination regardless of their investigation's outcome. But where an officer's action is found unlawful and costs the city over $10.5 million or another officer's actions result in the death of a fellow officer, these people are promoted.

-The department routinely treats citizens of different standing unequally. If you are poor and of a minority demographic you will not be treated the same as if you are white and wealthy. The department has concealed crimes and misconduct by its officers and given shelter to citizens of "standing" who have committed crimes.

 

-The department routinely settles cases for hundreds of thousands of dollars or is adjudged to pay damages in the millions of dollars for misconduct, and again, department leaders fail to act.

-APD leaders routinely use the public's resources to feather their own nest for their next career upon retirement.

 

and lastly,

 

-Officers are threatened with discipline if they do not make a certain number of arrests and citations.
 

-The APD training academy dwells on force at the expense of escalation tactics and methodologies.

-APD awards party supporters sworn or civilian to oversee sensitive and controversial department led domestic intelligence gathering operations such as the Real Time Crime Center. Make no mistake about this, the RTCC is a citizen spying unit and has no place in a free society.

 

This folks, is where APD is thanks to Schultz, Banks, and now Berry. If you think APD is not ready for a consent decree beyond comprehension, then do visit what transpired to LAPD after the Christopher Commission report.  Many of our Eyes are experienced in law enforcement. Here is a simple question to ask all of the rank and file officers:

DO YOU HOLD YOURSELF TO MORAL AND ETHICAL STANDARDS THAT THE PEOPLE YOU SERVE FAIL TO HOLD THEMSELVES TO?
 

Look at yourself in the mirror and ask that question. If you can stand up in public and say, "Yes" then you are a true police officer and it is time for you to step up and say "enough." Your police union will not do it (and certainly not between the times they are stealing from you) and your supervisors will not do it. You must do it.

If you cannot answer "yes," then turn in your badge because you are not worthy to wear it...and we will expose you.