The Journal offers another illuminating piece on the APD evidence room fiasco this morning, which, as usual, opens up the story to another wide range of questions that hopefully T. J. Wilham will continue to chase.
http://www.abqjournal.com/news/metro/363725metro06-21-05.htm
For starters, where the hell is the U.S. Attorney's office? In other city's that is the branch of government, the real watchdog, expected to come in and investigate local corruption. Where is David Iglesias—sitting in his office with his thumb up his ass? $58,000 are missing, vanished without account and there's no investigation. The A.G.'s office said after looking into the evidence room for a year they can't do an investigation because, basically, all of the evidence has been stolen! WTF? The new police chief, Ray Shultz, exonerates the deputy who was caught on tape intimidating other mid-level cops and let's Chief Gallegos take the fall when everyone at APD and at the mayor's office knows that Gallegos was not the most rotten apple in the bunch. Look closer at the chief's top deputies and see if you don't get closer to the truth, Madrid and Iglesias. Do your jobs with respect and dignity for the public welfare and without your political careers in mind and maybe you'll actually hold someone to account. Same goes for Mayor Chavez who's “heads will roll” promise was just hallow political rhetoric, if he thinks the public is going to accept Chief Gallegos' head and nobody elses'.
Then there's this line in today's Journal, referrencing the Independent Review Office's report that was commissioned and released by the mayor's office: “City officials said the portions of the report that were withheld involved personnel matters and therefore could not be released.”
Portions? Thirteen pages out of 20 were blacked-out with the old “personnel matter” excuse. That sounds bogus. And what city official said that? Was it the mayor? Was it the city attorney? Was it Chief Shultz? Because readers ought to be informed as to what comprises a “personnel matter” compared to what comprises a matter of public importance that should not be shielded from the community, especially when this whole fiasco still carries the stench of a cover-up.
Bottom line here is that our town is infested with mediocrity and unless there is community pressure brought on by toothy media reporting from New Mexico's paper of record, mediocrity and corruption will prevail and Albuquerque will continue in it's sad tradition of being a second-rate city. The Journal has all the resources and influence to do the right thing and probe much deeper into the matter. Let's hope they do. It would garner that fish-wrap some newfound respect, at least from where I'm sitting.
