Editor,
What is it that makes Mayor Richard Berry think that the citizens of Albuquerque don’t realize and appreciate the fact that police officers have a difficult and dangerous job? In his remarks to the Albuquerque Bar Association, he urged the public to demand accountability from the police department while at the same time recognizing the dangers of police work. Is this just another attempt by the mayor to gloss over the real issue — that the U.S. Department of Justice has cited APD for operating in a culture of aggression and a pattern of violating citizen’s constitutional rights?
I don’t believe that a single citizen of Albuquerque would argue that a police officer doesn’t have a dangerous, difficult and demanding job. What I find discouraging is that the mayor seems to infer that this is a defense for deadly aggression, poor judgment and lack of responsible leadership on the part of APD. It’s really a shame that the mayor wants to blame us for his failures in reigning in police aggression. And it’s a shame that the mayor wants to hide the lack of accountability behind his ridiculous assertion that we don’t understand the dangers of police work. That’s just utter nonsense.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey Paul
Daily Lobo reader
