Corrupt cops not held accountable in court

Editor,

The Albuquerque Police Department is corrupt.

When I say corrupt, I mean corrupt to the very fiber and bone marrow. What do I mean by corrupt? APD fails to fulfill the very purpose of its existence, which is to secure the rights of every person while enforcing the laws of the city and state.

The roots of this corruption are varied, but two sources are their extreme partiality in dealing with people and a great disregard for people’s civil rights. You see APD’s corruption at full scale when they cover for each other to prevent each other from being charged with crimes.

Many families have experienced the corruption of APD. The entire country witnessed it in the killing of James Boyd. Boyd, who was mentally ill, entered into an agreement with APD officers to turn himself in.

Once he gathered his belongings, the officers fired a flashbang at him. He responded as most mentally ill people would who have been living on the streets: He pulled out two knives. But just as he was surrendering and turning to get on the ground, two officers shot him in the back. As if that wasn’t enough, they shot him with bean bag rounds and let the K-9 bite him multiple times while he was dying and unresponsive. It was a violent and grotesque act.

The family of Christopher Torres knows APD’s corruption. Like Boyd, Torres was mentally ill. He was killed by APD officers in his own yard. The city paid $6 million for the officers’ actions; they are still with APD.

Many other families in Albuquerque have experienced APD’s violence. APD officers have shot 36 people since 2010 and killed 26. This is two times more shootings than the officers in Chicago, a population of 2.8 million, and eight times more than New York City, which has a population of 8.4 million. Not a single APD officer has been prosecuted for any of the questionable shootings, even though the City of Albuquerque has paid close to $30 million in judgments against them.

APD is not the only problem in securing justice in Albuquerque. The DA’s office and many of the judges sitting in the courtrooms have failed to make Albuquerque a more just and civil community. Kari Brandenburg has not prosecuted a single APD officer in her 13 years in office. Sit in almost any judge’s courtroom and simply watch how many people guilty of crimes are let off with a verbal warning. Even if a person pleads guilty or no contest, the judge will often convince him to change his plea to not guilty, in order to protect his reputation. Also, many APD officers fail to show up for court and charges get dismissed.

There is very little accountability in the New Mexico judicial system. Until APD, the district attorney’s office and the judges start practicing a true justice in their work, Albuquerque and New Mexico are going to remain very corrupt. A deep education in justice is greatly needed in Albuquerque and New Mexico.

Sincerely,

Benjamin Sanchez

UNM alumnus