Kudo's to KOB TV

I want to give Kudos's to KOB TV for this story on it not being illegal to video tape someone in a bathroom. The reporter made an excellent point when he pointed out that while the New Mexico Legislature has passed laws on things like the State Bolo Tie and official State Cook Book, they have yet to take care of unsuspecting females who are video taped with out their knowledge in public bathrooms. This really should be a law that should fly through committees and be passed by both the House and the Senate with record speed. The stunt of putting a fake camera in the restroom was a great attention grabber and the legislature should take immediate action.

Usually the media reports things that have happened rather then taking part in making things happen. This was a great case where they did both.

On another note the New Mexican, The Journal, and KOB TV reported on The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office new Computer Forensics Unit. I am especially proud of this achievement as it was years in the making and puts the Sheriff's Office in the forefront of New Technology and puts in place the ability to gather and preserve digital evidence.

on a final note I am very upset with This bill moving through the legislature.
The House voted Wednesday to allow counties to raise taxes aimed at jail funding. That measure now heads to the Senate. This is in response to counties who are going broke housing state prisoners in an unfunded mandate. Rather than just pay their bill to the counties for housing these state prisoners, legislators are trying to have individual counties raise taxes locally and then use the money to pay for the bills we are incurring on state inmates. This forces local County Commissioners to face local constituents with a tax increase and then somehow explain to them that we are raising taxes on them to pay a bill the state refuses to pay. What is wrong with this picture? Come on legislators just agree to pay the bills for state prisoners. One of the problems is there is no definition of just who is a state prisoner, that is also contained in a bill the legislators can and should pass. Counties are literally going broke paying jail bills and a huge majority of these prisoners either are state prisoners or should be state prisoners.

State District judges, State Prosecutors and defense attorney's try to keep prisoners who are sentenced to prison out of the prison system by having prisoners sentenced to say five years in prison but deferring all but 364 days. What this does is burden the county jails with hard core prisoners who belong in prison and whose bill should be paid by the state but because of the deferred sentence they end up with the bill for their incarceration being paid by the County. These are prisoners charged with State Criminal Statutes, convicted of crimes in a State Court and sentenced to State Penitentiary's, Their incarceration costs should be paid by the State.

Anyway its Friday and I have talked enough. Have a good weekend.