Eye Told You: DWI Arrests Drop

Last Friday KRQE reported that there has been a 23% decrease in DWI arrests so far this year in Bernalillo County (read it here). Back in March we told you about APD's decision to change the department's DWI policy. The new policy required that all DWI arrests will be handled by the officer who made the initial contact. The change was made to reduce overtime costs - which it did. Unfortunately, it also resulted in a drop in DWI arrests.

We first told you about the drop in DWI arrests back in April. At the time, our Eyes told us that arrests had dropped by 73% and alcohol related accidents were up 200%.  Since that time, our Eyes tell us that the drop has remained at around a 73% to 76% decrease. More, the Eyes have it that the number of cases tried monthly by an ADA from the DA's office has dropped from 45 plus to the mid-teens.

Kelly's manager, Alfonso Serna, thinks people at Kelly's and other bars are being more responsible.

"They're not drinking as much, alot of people are calling cabs and we're doing alot more of that than we have in the past," Serna said.

- KRQE.com

We all hope that Mr. Serna is correct and that people are "getting the message." But there are some problems with the numbers.

From January 1st through June 11th of 2009, there were a total of 3,170 DWI arrests in Bernalillo County.

For the same stretch of date in 2010, that number is 2,446 DWI arrests.

- KRQE.com

The numbers given to Channel 13 compare apples to oranges. APD provided an approximately 23 week aggregate that included the DWI policy change.

Using APD's numbers, last year officers were making around 138 arrests per week. This year they're making 106 arrests a week over the same time period.

If we assume the new policy went into effect March 22nd and that prior to the 22nd APD was making more like 138 arrests per week and subsequent to that they were making around 106 arrests per week, you end up with 2790 arrests over the same 23 week period. In other words, a 12% drop in arrests once you take into account the policy change.

Understand there are a number of assumptions here. However, using rough numbers you can see that at least 12% of the drop can be easily attributed to the fact that officers are not making arrests. They simply don't indicate that drivers are "getting the message."

News 13 asked APD if the decrease has anything to do with the new policy enacted in March that requires patrol officers to make their own arrests after making a DWI stop.

In the past, patrol officers could pass of the case to the DWI Unit officers.

APD says it's looking into that possibility.

- KRQE.com

Look, there's a simple way to determine whether or not APD's just missing a whole slew of drunk drivers or if there has been a drop. Simply compare the pre-policy numbers from 2010 and 2009 to the post-policy numbers from both years. KRQE indicated that APD would be getting back to them this week. So far...

County Chaos

There's more trouble on John Dantis Road and this time the allegations are criminal. Saturday the county's Community Custody Program Czar Vince Peele was himself taken into custody on charges of taking bribes to place MDC inmates into the CCP program.

Peele, 48, faces two counts each of demanding or receiving a bribe by a public official and acceptance of a bribe from a witness. He is also charged with 28 counts of identity theft and one count of conspiracy, Bernalillo County Sheriff's Lt. Duncan Sanchez said.

- ABQ Journal (Subscription)

Since the end of April we've been treated to a series of stories that - shall we say - makes one less than confident in Bernalillo County management. We've had sons with substance abuse problems working at MATS, overpayment of county vendors, employee retaliation, alleged bribery, the controversial hire/no-hire of former Commissioner Al Valdez, and apparently Ron Torres' entire family got jobs at MDC. (Ok, so maybe it's not Torres' entire family but the Journal identified 6 family members and our Eyes tell us that there may be a few more.) That's a whole lot of smoke and almost all of is coming from the county's Public Safety Department which is run by none other than John Dantis.

County officials are busy trying to put out the multiple fires threatening their governmental house. Dantis the elder is still working while Dantis the younger resigned rather than face termination (read it here - Subscription). An inquiry into the Dantis affair has begun and according to our Eyes, the findings are expected early this week. Meanwhile, the county confirmed it overpaid Canteen Correctional Services almost $400,000. But an audit performed by terminated county accountant Carlos Villanueva indicated as much as a $2.9 MILLION overpayment (read it here - Subscription).

Bernalillo County has largely remained hidden by the shadow of the City of Albuquerque making it fertile ground for those who would abuse their authority. It's no surprise that the Journal's investigations have uncovered so many alarming and potentially criminal activities.

Cronyism, nepotism, corruption...They're all here. So far, neither the commission nor County Manager Thaddeus Lucero have done anything to substantively address the problem.

Organizations always take on the attributes of their leaders. It's up to the 5 members of the Board of County Commissioners to determine who those leaders are and the character of the organization (or lack thereof). There's little doubt that the county is in chaos and it'll take more than an investigation and a couple of tweaks to an ethics ordinance to fix it.

Election Day Eye Poll!

The polls are open! It's win or go home for a number of Democrats and Republicans in the only poll that really matters. But until we find who officially won, let's take a look at last week's Eye Poll of the Democratic and Republican primaries.

They were both squeakers with Lawrence Rael edging out Brian Colon on the D side and John Sanchez taking the prize from Senator Kent Cravens for the Rs. The margin of victory for both was a single vote. Lawrence Rael received 37%, Brian Colon 36%, Jose Campos 21%, and Gerald Ortiz Y Pino and Linda Lopez tied with 3% each (view the results here). For the Rs John Sanchez received 43%, Kent Cravens 43%, and Brian Moore 14% (view the results here).

Of course our results are unscientific, but it's looking like all of the action in tonight's election won't be in the Republican gubernatorial contest. In fact, it's probably going to be the lieutenant governor candidates that are burning the midnight oil on both sides of the isle.

If you haven't voted yet, make sure that you do so today! You can find your polling place here. As has been our tradition, we'll be posting our predictions (after consulting with Ms. Cleo) just after the polls cose at 7 pm. See you later tonight!

A Tight One

With just over a week to go, it looks to be a photo finish for Susana Martinez and Allen Weh. In last week's Eye Poll Eye On Albuquerque readers gave their indication of exactly how close the Republican Gubernatorial Primary is going to be.

Sliding in on top of our unscientific poll is Susana Martinez with 44% of the vote. Now, before the Martinez folks break out the bubbly, Allen Weh came in second with 43%. The difference? Just one vote.

Doug Turner took 3rd place with 9% and Janice Arnold-Jones and Pete Domenici, Jr. rounded out the voting with 2% each (view the results here). Unless there's a substantial change between now and June 1st, it's going to be a very late night for at least a couple of Republicans.

Lost in all of the gubernatorial hoopla has been that other statewide office - Lieutenant Governor. You know, the office that Diane Denish held before becoming a Republicrat (see the TV ad here).

In any case, believe it or not we've got 8 candidates in two parties vying for the number two spot in the state. On the D side it's Brian Colon, Lawrence Rael, Jose Campos, Gerald Ortiz Y Pino, and Linda Lopez. On the R side, Brian Moore, Kent Cravens, and John Sanchez are asking for the R vote. Tell us what you think in this week's Eye Polls!

Inquisition

If you watched the Albuquerque City Council for just about any amount of time during the trumped up "immigration debate," you were treated to an example of political grandstanding Albuquerque style. We're all used to this type of "debate" from Congress but the council's not usually quite as blatant in their pursuit of sound bites and political brownie points.

In Congress you can usually spot grandstanding when a senator or representative starts to question a witness, corporate executive, or bureaucrat with question like "don't you think that...?" Then follows those four words with a 10 minute speech about what the poor schelp testifying should be thinking.

Monday's little council melee' was an exercise in fear-mongering. Councilors Sanchez, Garduno, O'Malley and Benton were attempting to conjure up horrific images of citizens of Hispanic decent being dragged from their beds in the middle of the night to be handed over to ICE for interrogation and of victims of domestic violence who are here either legally or illegally being afraid to contact police because of a immigration status check.

The policy itself only applies to those who are arrested and taken into custody. Then it applies to everyone who is arrested regardless of race, creed, or color. Everyone is finger printed. Everyone is checked for immigration status. Just like everyone will be run through NCIC.

The fingerprinting policy alone could result in numerous arrests for outstanding warrants. The truth is most criminals tend to commit more than one crime. Those that have come here illegally have already committed a crime when they chose to ignore U.S. immigration law. How is checking immigration status any different than searching for wants and warrants?

Officers generally check to see if you're wanted for other crimes any time they make a stop. If you're speeding or your brake light is out, they're gonna check. The simple fact is - that information could save their life if they come into contact with someone suspected of a violent crime. Mayor Berry's new administrative policy won't go into effect unless and until a suspect is taken into custody.

[Sidebar]
Much of last night's debate involved whether or not the new "procedure" was a policy. Councilors Garduno and Sanchez were in a bit of a twist over the distinction. They claimed that if it was a "policy" then the city council should have been consulted.

The City of Albuquerque has a strong executive form of government. The mayor and his designees are charged with setting administrative policy. If the council wants to weigh-in they have the authority to do so through their charter granted legislative authority. Their efforts failed.
[End Sidebar]

As we've said before, Mayor Berry's new policy might have prevented the rape of a 6 year old girl. And oddly enough, Governor Bill Richardson agrees.

Gov. Bill Richardson on Monday told the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department to start reporting violent juvenile criminals who are foreign nationals to immigration authorities.

CYFD has not been reporting them to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement since 2006, when Mary-Dale Bolson, then secretary of CYFD, suspended a state regulation requiring CYFD to do so, CYFD spokeswoman Romaine Serna said Monday.

But that regulation, which required CYFD to report all foreign nationals entering its system, was in place when Juan Gonzalez, a Mexican national who's now 20 years old, was accused in 2005 of raping a 6-year-old boy and molesting a 3-year-old girl.

(ABQ Journal - Subscription)

 Look... The idea that immigration should only be enforced at the border is an abrogation of responsibility. In fact it encourages illegal immigration by removing the threat of deportation if an illegal can just make it far enough into the country.

Monday night's council meeting reminded us of the Spanish Inquisition with Councilors Sanchez, Garduno, Benton, and O'Malley acting as Grand Inquisitors. All that was lacking was an order to tie Mayor Berry's representatives to a rock and throw them in Tingley Beach to see if they float. If they float, the policy's evil and can be burned at the stake. If they drown, then... well... oops.

Political Theater

Councilors Ken Sanchez and Rey Garduno are looking for their time in the political spotlight. The two have alerted the media that they plan to try and add Mayor Berry's new APD illegal immigration policy to tonight's council agenda. Their objective is to prevent the mayor from checking whether or not a criminal has already committed a crime by entering the country illegally.

In addition, the two intrepid councilors are proposing that the city join the few states, schools, and cities that are "boycotting" Arizona. Siding with Sanchez and Garduno is none other than Isaac Benton.

This isn't Benton's first foray into international affairs. Back in January of 2009, Benton characterized the Israeli conflict with Palestine as "genocide" (ABQ Journal - Subscription).

Look... Mayor Berry's new SOP, is no different than checking those who are arrested for wants and warrants. We'd argue that the policy doesn't quite go far enough, but the truth is Berry's policy could have prevented the rape of a six year old girl earlier this month.

Juan Gonzalez told police he has "problems touching little children" after he was arrested earlier this week on suspicion of sexually assaulting a 6-year-old girl at an Albuquerque gym, officials said.

Gonzalez, a 20-year-old Mexican national, was being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center late Thursday on a $200,000 cash-only bond, jail records show. He is charged with criminal sexual penetration, kidnapping and evidence tampering. 

- (ABQ Journal - Subscription)

Not all immigrants are criminals - not even illegal immigrants (except for that whole illegally being in the country thing). But what Sanchez, Garduno, and Benton are proposing is that police officers intentionally ignore the crime of entering the country illegally when performing a legal investigation.

This looks to us like a case of political "me toos" designed to garner support from a far left constituency. It certainly makes for good political theater, but in reality a majority the public wants a secure border and Mayor Berry's new policy is a step toward that goal.

When You Can’t Attack the Content

The Chavez administration - according to our Eyes - was obsessed with finding "The Eye." Now it seems new (and a few of the old) power brokers have launched a campaign against an individual they think is the Eye. While the attention may be flattering, the question is why does it matter?

“Thus, an ingenious attacker makes the defender at a loss how to defend; an ingenious defender makes the attacker at a loss how to attack.” Zhang Huimin

The individual formerly known as the Almighty Alcade died a slow political death of a thousand cuts. Eye on Albuquerque along with a number of other sites and media outlets, simply presented the issues and information as they were occurring. In truth, most of the cuts were administered by the Almighty Alcade and his minions themselves. Painful for a man with an Ivy League Education I know, but he must have missed the history class about Marcus Junius Brutus. (More on this later.)

As you watch politicians on the news, they will often use a common device. When they cannot answer a question they employ a distraction or avoidance technique. If they cannot evade, they attack the messenger. Again this is a normal political tactic.

One would hope they would be smarter than that. Recently our sources tell us that some city power brokers have become “concerned” and have tried to entice reporters to write articles about The Eye on Albuquerque. Yet, there are new posts and even new contributors. Priceless!

In my opinion it was more entertaining watching the chess games being played with the Almighty Alcade. When some of the new members stepped in, the games turned from chess to checkers. A good quote or sound bite is rarely a substitute for a sound strategy and never a substitute for honesty and integrity.

A bombastic nature is truly one of the greatest assets that can be developed in the media and provides for great entertainment. It can also be utilized to effectively distract the public.

You (as citizens) should ask some serious questions. We have a new administration that ran on a platform of lean government, transparency, and fighting crime. If this is true why do we have almost the same APD leadership? Why do we have a new public safety Czar? What does the position truly bring to the City of Albuquerque? What are the citizens getting for the salary? Why was this position kept when there are so many budget shortfalls? Was this a political payback, and if so for what?

Eye on Albuquerque was and is intended to be anonymous. Not to hide, but to allow a river of communication to emerge. It has emerged; in fact there are now thousands of posts and comments. This provides for something called content. It would appear the administration (past and present) has been unable to find a way to stop citizens from reading and posting about the issues that concern them.

Now some power brokers think they know who they should attack. Again, with vigor and zeal they march forward not knowing or understanding who or how to attack. Worse they have no concept of the stage on which they will be forced to perform.

Is the content so disconcerting? Is the message so dangerous?

Who am I? Who we are we? I am a shadow, one that is always there, one you will never see. Nice try, but you‘re not even close. As far as the content, Eye on Albuquerque will continue to post what we see, and let the readers decide. Remember you will always have a Shadow.