Sheriff Raises Money for Breast Cancer

I have joined Team Yvonne to help raise money for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. Please make a donation $10 or $500 it all helps and counts. I never wear pink cause "real men don't wear pink". If we raise $1000 I will wear a pink shirt and post a picture on facebook. Its my challenge to those who tease me because I... don't wear pink! Thank you for your support. Click Below to make your donation!

American Cancer Society - Making Strides Donation Page

Sheriff Solano Endorses Mayor Coss Re-election

I just announced my endorsement for Mayor David Coss. You can read the press release below. At the end of the day, I just think he's the right leader for Santa Fe and has the ability to bring people together to solve pressing issues and reduce crime.

Last summer there was a peak in residential burglaries. Working with the Mayor and the City Police we were able to bring down the burglary rate 57% in the last six months.

David has an impressive record and his administration has a long record of working with the Sheriff's Office to ensure that the citizens are protected inside or outside the city or County. Keep in mind criminals don't care whether they are in the city or county and the same burglars victimize families in both jurisdictions.

The joint City and County Burglary and Narcotics Task Forces have made huge strides in keeping crime down even during our tough economic times where many cities are experiencing even higher property crime rates than we have experienced. Most notable is the dozens of arrests and thousands of dollars of property recovery's the task forces have made in the past year. I hope you will join me in supporting the Re-election of Mayor Coss in the City of Santa Fe.

Below is the official press release.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: Friday, February 5, 2010

SHERIFF GREG SOLANO ENDORSES MAYOR DAVID COSS

Santa Fe, NM -- Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano announced his endorsement of Mayor David Coss today, citing his ability to bring people together to solve pressing issues in Santa Fe and reduce crime.

“I continue to be impressed by Mayor Coss. The fact that he increased police officers on the city police force from 124 to 154 officers over the last 4 years is credit to his strong stance on public safety,” said Sheriff Solano. These increases in police on the streets are more than any Mayor in Santa Fe’s history. I have complete faith in his ability to lead Santa Fe during these trying times.”

Mayor Coss said, “I’m very honored to have the support of Sheriff Solano. I have great respect for his work in the County and look forward to our continued collaborative efforts to keep Santa Feans safe.”

Mayor Coss has worked with local law enforcement, community advocates, and neighborhood watches in Santa Fe to reduce crime. As a result, the number of police officers on the streets has increased by 24%, there are over 120 neighborhood watch groups, violent crime is at the lowest level in eight years, and burglaries have decreased by 57% over the last six months.

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For more information on the campaign to re-elect Mayor David Coss, contact Sandra Wechsler @ (505) 231-5866 or campaign@reelectmayorcoss.com www.reelectmayorcoss.com

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Think Before You Speak.

Some people will chalk this up to political correctness however, I think its about not being insensitive. Someone posted this on facebook and I knew I wanted to help pass this on. It is a message that is a long time coming and makes sense. Change on issues like this take time until it is finally ingrained in peoples subconsciousness that the use in this manner is inappropriate. I know that some peoples computers at work and public places block videos from youtube so if you can't see the video (and you should see it) it involves Wanda Sykes lecturing some teens after they make fun of a ceramic chef and say "thats so gay". She explains how insensitive it is to use that phrase and tells them to Think Before You Speak !

D.W.I. , Why are our children dying? What can we do?

This has been a tragic weekend for the Sheriffs Office and our community at large. Worse it has been tragic for 6 families. I can not discuss the details of the case on a personal blog. However, I do want to discuss the lessons we can learn from this. I have attended two of the three memorials for the deceased teens and witnessed hundreds of teens in pain. Unfortunately my daughter is one of them. I haven't met a single person in Santa Fe yet who does not know one of the kids or the young 28 year old driver who has been arrested or an immediate family member personally. I have had a chance to talk to over half of the parents involved and all including the mother of the young man who was arrested are feeling the greatest pain imaginable. My wife and I pray for all those touched by this horrible tragedy and hope they will all find peace.

New Mexico has been battling D.W.I. for a long, long time now. As a state we have made huge strides. In 2008, there were 143 alcohol-involved fatalities in New Mexico, down 34 from 2007 and a huge drop from 221 in 2002. Since 2003, New Mexico has seen a 35 percent decline in drunken-driving related deaths and has implemented some of the toughest laws and most innovative programs in the country to stop drunken driving in New Mexico.

So why are our children still dying? What more can we do? As I looked at the teenagers mourning at the memorials one thing came to mind. How many of these kids will drink and drive? Statistics say over half will drink and drive at some time. Most people who drink and drive and get arrested say when taking surveys during mandatory treatment that they have driven while intoxicated up to 100 times before getting caught. Driving home after drinking is ingrained in the culture of New Mexicans. Not drinking and driving is something we will have to teach a whole new generation of New Mexicans so that it is considered a true moral and subconscious "you do not do this, type thing". Now we all have that little subconscious thing in the back of our head that says "you do not kill someone". Unfortunately for many that does not kick in where drinking and driving is concerned.

So here are a few hundred teens who have witnessed first hand and directly in their own lives just what the consequences are for drinking and driving. How many now will go out and fulfill the prophecy of the statistics that say over half of them will drink and drive? Will they go out and teach their children about the friends they lost on June 28, 2009 ? I hope so, I hope the memory of the four teens who lost their lives and the young man arrested for their deaths, will live on in the minds of these hundreds of teens mourning today. Not as a haunting memory of death, but as a reminder of life. What a life is worth and what is lost when you choose to drink and drive. I have sat down with my children and discussed just what I wanted them to get out of this tragedy. My family is not without sin and has been touched repeatedly over the years by drinking and driving. However, I still have hope, hope for my family and for yours. Talk to your kids about this tragedy and what can come out of it. Tell them that the way to honor the lives of these teens is by pledging to never, ever, ever, drink and drive.

My families prayers go out to all those touched by this tragedy.
Sheriff Greg Solano

The Torch is Passed at The Santa Fe City Police Department

Today the Torch was officially passed to Chief Aric Wheeler of the City of Santa Fe Police Department. Chief Eric Johnson retired on Friday and took his last ride in a City of Santa Fe Police Cruiser to his parents home. Chief Johnson was an excellent chief who carried the department through some growing pains with a lot of integrity.



















Chief Aric Wheeler

Congratulations to Chief Wheeler, I look forward to continuing to work with you in your new capacity. Your family must learn to ignore or accept the criticism which will come. Each person deals with it differently. I like to read the criticism whether it is in letters, emails, comments on the Santa Fe New Mexican Website or sometimes through the rumor mill behind my back. I look at all of it constructively which can be hard when some of it is personal and hatred based. When you are the leader criticism comes easily. Remember what Theodore Roosevelt once said.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

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KOB TV News Story on Sheriff's County Wide Alert System

Here is Gadi Schwartz from KOB TV News telling viewers about Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office new Emergency Alert System.







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Sheriffs Office Launches Emergency Alert System

Sheriff Greg Solano reports that The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office is launching an Emergency Alert System in conjunction with Nixle.com. It is a free service that allows Santa Fe County residents to receive trusted up to the minute neighborhood information for citizens through out Santa Fe County. Those who sign up for the service at www.santafesheriff.com will receive notices sent out by the sheriff’s office through text message, twitter accounts, email, and via the Sheriff’s alert web page.


The service will include up to date alerts on traffic delays, missing persons, disasters, crime information such as suspect vehicles, warnings on crime sprees, public safety alerts, and News Releases. The service will also include up to date information on the swine flu epidemic as it pertains to Santa Fe County.


Citizens will be able to enter addresses of particular concern to them such as their home address, work address, family members etc. Once you log in with your home address you can add multiple address’s by going to (Locations) and click to Add New. When the Sheriffs office sends out alerts they are categorized as county wide alerts or area specific. If we are trying to warn of a particular crime prevalent in a specific area of the county then the alert may only be sent to those living or working in that area. Broader alerts would be directed towards the entire county. The citizens who sign up will not be subjected to spam or advertisements and strict confidentiality of their information will be adhered to. The service is completely free of charge.


Sheriff Greg Solano states “We were working on launching this system in the next few weeks however due to the swine flu epidemic we have rushed to launch the system sooner. I encourage all citizens in the county to sign up for the alerts and take advantage of this great system. Sheriff Solano has been in contact with the State Health Department and together with our Santa Fe County Office of Emergency Management we are monitoring the one possible but unconfirmed case of swine flu in Santa Fe County and will monitor for any other possible cases in Santa Fe County. Alerts will be sent out via the Sheriffs Emergency Alert System described above.

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Santa Fe Reporter Fooling Around Contest!

We have a winner! Laura Paskus has won the contest. The answer is Sheriff Manuel Gordo Sena who was Republican and Sheriff from 1952-1954 !

When the Julia Goldberg of the Santa Fe Reporter called me to ask if I would participate in a contest whereby the winner of a trivia question would get a free ride along with a deputy on duty I thought it might be an April Fools joke. I went along with it and waited until I actually saw the contest in the Santa Fe Reporter before putting this post up.

So It is real and for those of you who visited my blog today to take a stab at answering the question here it is.

When was the last time Santa Fe County had a Republican sheriff?



Bonus round for an official Sheriff's Badge lapel pin. What was that sheriff's name?

Ok, folks send in your answers via the comment section of this blog post. The first correct answer wins the prize. Get both answers correct and win both prizes!

Note: on April 2, 2009 I added a hint somewhere in my blog.
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Santa Fe County Democratic Ward Elections Recap.

Tonight my wife Antoinette and I attended the ward elections for the Santa Fe County Democratic Party. In tonight's elections each ward met at their own tables and voted for a ward coordinator and vice coordinator and a number of delegates based on how many registered democrats were in your particular ward. My ward had 12 delegates to elect and two of those are automatically taken by the elected coordinator and vice coordinator. The elections were held at the NEA building on Botulph Road.

These elections really will make a difference next Tuesday April 7, 2009 when the newly elected delegates will vote for the chair of the Santa Fe County Democratic Party. Minnie Gallegos who has been the chair of the Santa Fe Democratic party will step down after leading the party since 2001. Jose Morfin a retired DOT worker and long time Santa Fe Democratic party worker and former President of the Young Democrats is running for the chair position against Richard Ellenberg a retired attorney who moved here from Georgia and has been active in the Santa Fe Democratic party for the last 4 years.

My wife and I arrived about 20 minutes early and it became quickly apparent that both the Morfin and Ellenburg camps had brought in many new people to the ward elections. This is common as candidates try to get pro delegates elected in each of the wards. People wanting to become ward coordinator also bring neighbors or others to secure their vote and become coordinator. The only requirement for voting for and running for delegates is that you are a registered democrat in the ward you are either voting in or running for delegate. Now many people may look at this as trying to stack the deck in your favor but really this is democracy at its best and it serves to bring new people into the democratic party meetings and get them involved. Some show up only on voting day and never return but some stay involved and this is good for the party.

As I worked the room, ( I am still a politician) I noticed a pretty large contingent of pro democrats for each County Chair Candidate, they were identified by pro stickers and name tags that many of them wore. Some like myself were not wearing candidate tags but I did not talk to anyone who was undecided. The split seemed very large along racial lines with most Hispanics supporting Jose Morfin and most Anglo's supporting Richard Ellenburg. There were other dividing lines as well , most non native Santa Feans (defined by me as those not born here or having lived most of their lives here) were for Richard Ellenburg, while most of the Democrats in attendance whom I knew as being native Santa Feans were for Jose Morfin. Note: this is a generalization based on my observations so if you support a candidate and did not fit into these categories (and I am sure many did not) please don't take it personally.

In my ward I was elected a delegate, with my wife elected an alternate. In my ward of the 12 delegates elected it appeared that approximately 10 were leaning or actual Morfin supporters while two were not giving their preferences away. Most other wards I saw seemed either evenly split or leaning towards Morfin. At least two wards I visited ended up with apparent unanimous Morfin supporters as delegates. Now there were many wards that I visited well before the votes were taken and many that I visited afterwards. I could only get a sense of the delegates from those I visited after the elections had taken place.

In attendance at his ward was former ward chair Bernie Logue y Perea who resigned as ward coordinator last year to back a green party candidate in the PRC race. It appears that he is back in the democratic camp this year. I am sure he will have some fences to mend if he is to become any where near as involved as he once was in the Democratic Party.

It will be an interesting election next Tuesday and an important one. As we prepare for many county and state wide elections in 2010 the faces of the Santa Fe Democratic party elected on Tuesday will be counted upon to make a difference and work to ensure the Democrats retain their dominance in Santa Fe County and pull their weight for the state wide candidates. In the past years fund raising and coordination has been a problem in Santa Fe County and the next Chair must tackle those issues head on.

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Has the legislature become beholden to the media?

As I look back on the 49th Legislature, first session of 2009, the real story is how much of the session was spent dealing with items near and dear to the heart of the media. With the economy being what it is there was no money this year for the state to spread around. This led to less lobbyists doing less lobbying and those who were there lobbying seemed to be less effective than in the past. Just look at the TIDDs legislation. Tons of money was spent lobbying for the TIDDS legislation and it failed not just once but twice!

So who was successful in getting legislation passed this year? The only lobbyist that don't even have to register as lobbyists in New Mexico, The News Media. In news papers, TV, blogs, and live blogging the press pushed for Live web cams in the legislature, open conference committee meetings, double dipping legislation, and ethics reform. Now don't get me wrong, I sure other people cared about these issues as well, but the news media hounded law makers on these issues relentlessly. Even the death penalty legislation was not hurt by the media stories on the issue.

Now its often been said don't mess with the person who buys their ink by the barrel but this year more than any the media was relentless and had no problem taking sides on the issues and pushing their agenda using all forms of traditional and non traditional media outlets. Politicians have to pay attention to the media at least some of the time, especially during elections when if the news media gets the scent of blood they can devour a candidate. However, during this legislative session the press seems to have wielded a exceptional amount of influence. You can read the blogs and news stories after the previously mentioned bills were passed and you will see a more than sufficient amount of celebrating.

So, we force anyone who actively lobbies our politicians to register as lobbyists. Should the media once they switch gears from just reporting the news to pushing an agenda be forced to register as lobbyists? Or is the media out of line? Now individual reporters have every right to be for or against an issue and to individually speak their mind. But, when they do it as part of their job what does that do to the our system of politics and the media and the fact that they consider themselves the watchdog of our government. Can you be a watchdog and take sides on issues at the same time?

Some of these issues really should matter to the public and the public probably should be clamoring for more open government and ethics reform and yes maybe even web cams in the roundhouse. But are they? And when the legislature listens to the media, when they are lobbying on these issues, are they now beholden to the media? Often times legislators are accused of being beholden to lobbyists when they listen to them or vote in their favor. So what about now that the media has won so many fights in one session. Would anyone in the media dare to write an editorial exclaiming that the media has had undue influence and the legislature has become beholden to the media lobby? I will not hold my breath.

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Governor, Sign Red Light Camera Legislation.

The legislature has passed Senate Bill 519 which forces local cities which use Red Light Camera's to turn over most of the revenue to the state. I applaud this bill and urge the Governor to Sign it into law. My biggest problem with red light camera's is that cities tend to use them not as deterrents to red light running but as revenue generation tools. This bill removes most of that incentive and forces mayors and city councilors to judge the use of red light camera's on their effectiveness and not their ability to generate revenue. The final change needed in a future piece of legislation would be to force cities who have red light cameras to have protests to violations heard by a real judge, whether it be a municipal or magistrate judge. If this final change was made I could then support red light camera's.

For those who are not aware. Cameras have been in use in Albuquerque for several years, and in Las Cruces for about a month. The City of Santa Fe is placing cameras at four Cerrillos Road intersections within months also. State Law requires citations to be given by a uniformed certified officer who must witness the infraction. The only exception is in the case of an accident when the officer can rely on evidence at the scene and witness statements to issue the citations. So how do New Mexico cities use red light camera's to issue citations? They do this through a civil action.

The citations issued are civil summons issued by the city. The only cause of action if you do not pay the citation is for the city to take civil action and boot your vehicle under civil forfeiture ordinances until you pay. If you do pay the citation then the only penalty is the cash you send to the city. No matter how many citations you get for running red lights by the cameras you will not receive points on your M.V.D. records. Your insurance companies will not know you even received a citation. The penalty is cash and or impoundments. The city saves on storage fees by impounding your car in your own driveway by booting the vehicle.

Because it is a civil action your only recourse if you want to dispute a ticket is to appeal the ticket to a hearing officer hired by the city to hear the appeals. The hearing officer only judges whether or not you ran the light not extenuating circumstances like a judge would. So lets say a car is skidding into your rear end at a light you have already stopped at or are slowing to a stop. Your only choice is to step on the gas and continue through the intersection or get rear ended. You step on the gas and avoid the accident but the camera snaps your picture and you get a ticket. The hearing officer will not take the circumstances into account only whether or not the photo adequately shows evidence that you did or did not run the light.

A judge can take all factors into consideration and make a ruling. Now cities do not want these tickets going to a judge because judges tend to take plea agreements and dismiss tickets more often than a hearing officer would. Thereby reducing dramatically the revenue from red light tickets. And of course because of state law which says that an officer must witness the infraction any judge who gets a red light camera case would be obligated to throw the case out. This brings us back to the State Legislature. What is needed now is a state statute either legitimizing red light cameras so the cases can be heard in a real court, or a statute eliminating them all together.

Finally the ball is still up in the air on whether or not Red Light Camera's prevent accidents or cause them. I was hoping Albuquerque would do an honest study on this factor but I have not seen it yet. You can find studies that show both results so the whole thing appears inconclusive.

Here are three studies which shows that accidents increase at intersections with red light camera's due to motorists making abrupt stops in order to avoid the citation.

Maryland county's red light cameras net $2.85 million, increase accidents

Georgia: Accidents Increased with Red Light Cameras

Washington study

Now I really believe the Red Light camera's will prove to be a bad fit for Santa Fe and locals will pressure city officials to do away with them in the next couple of years. It will be interesting to see.

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Double Dipping, The Good The Bad And The Necessary

So called Double Dipping is very much in the news at this time as the push for changes works its way through the legislature. As most issues are, this one is not a black and white issue. The problem with programs like this is not the entire program, but rather the fact that abuses can and will take place. This causes people to want to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Law Enforcement is one area where hiring retired officers makes dollars and sense, and serves the taxpayer. Law Enforcement and Fire Fighters have a 20 year retirement. This was incorporated years ago (1970's ?) across New Mexico as a way to add incentive for men and women to go into the profession. When I started in 1988 I took a cut in pay from my job as a service advisor at a local car dealership to be an police officer. I was making about $8 an hour with commissions and I went to work with the Santa Fe Police Department as an officer for $6.00 an hour. Why would I take a cut in pay? I was newly married and had a child on the way. I needed health insurance and retirement benefits. While the pay was not as good as the private sector the stability and benefits made the job switch worthwhile.

I started my career in law enforcement at age 24 and many started at age 18- 21. That means that the officers I started with were eligible to retire at ages 38-42. Imagine that! Retiring at age 38. Now the truth of the matter is that they would not truly retire. Who can just go fishing at age 38? So these men and women are going to take 20 years of law enforcement experience and go work where? Security at malls, casino's, for private investigations firms and for lawyers. The public loses all that experience and knowledge to these other jobs. By hiring retired officers we are bringing that experience back to the streets. Now I have never hired anyone who is retired from our agency or else where without following the letter of the law. People who retire must leave their jobs for 90 days before being eligible for rehire. Those in city, state and other government agencies who have skirted this law have created a feeding ground for those who would like to end the rehiring practice all together.

I have touched on why law enforcement needs to be able to keep and rehire experienced officers but what about non law enforcement? The thing I find funny is that the politicians who are now speaking out about the practice have themselves or through their directors hired hundreds of retired government employees who are past retirees. In the last year at least 1/3 of the officers I have hired are retirees. The Governor is speaking out on the practice yet he alone could have easily set policies which could have restricted the practice in state government. Many times in city, county and state government the work is plenty and the employees are few. People become specialized in their fields and because everyone has their jobs to do, others do not get the training and experience needed to take their place when they retire. It is in these specialized positions that the public will suffer when the experience is lost.

In the private sector the incentive to stay on is done through stock options, bonuses, and retention incentives. None of these are available in government so rehire of experienced personnel is one of the few options. We need to reign in abuses and make governments stick to the rules, but to eliminate the rehire option is a detriment to government. At the very least we need to keep an exemption for hard to fill positions such as teachers, nurses, fire fighters, and law enforcement. I only wish other politicians who know and understand why rehire is a necessary option would take their finger out of the wind and explain to the public the benefits and reign in the negatives.

Bad Economic Times and Law Enforcement

The recent economic news had primarily centered on businesses in America and has moved away from the individuals. What I mean by this is that the first signs of the economy failing and the big news 6 months ago was the residential foreclosures sweeping the country. The media and the government focus has now moved to business failures. I am going to put my Conan Obrian collar and point the flashlight at my face and make some predictions.

Cities and counties across the state look to cut budgets as taxes coming in to pay for services are dropping. It is a necessary evil as government must live with in their means. The problem with Law Enforcement is crime increases as the economy drops. Yet police agencies across the nation are held to flat budgets at best and cuts at the worst.

It is the way the cookie crumbles and there is not a lot that can be done. If crime rates raise to the point of crisis then and only then will government leaders bite the bullet and divert funds from other projects to law enforcement. The good side, if there is one, is that public safety is usually the last government function that is usually cut and is the easiest function in which to make a case for holding back cuts or even getting additional resources in tough economic times, if the crime rate is increasing enough.

In Santa Fe, the majority of the general fund for county government is property tax related. The huge swings seen in the city funds where the taxes are generated primarily through gross receipts are some what moderate in the county where property taxes are more stable. Leaders in law enforcement recognize crime trends and how economic factors, socioeconomic factors, seasons, weather, holidays and other factors that affect crime rates and respond accordingly. We need to prepare for the short and long term effects of tough economic times and ensure that our officers understand and are prepared to deal with these times. The upside to tough economic times is that careers in law enforcement become more desirabled. The benefits, retirement, job stability and pay make law enforcement a much more viable option to those who may not consider the career otherwise.

The important thing is that we understand and prepare for these times both as public officials and as individuals. Individuals need to understand what these times mean for crime trends and take extra precautions to prevent crime. The truth is we all should take these precautions all the time but there is never a better time than now to pay attention. I am adding these crime tips for burglaries because that is the most prevalent crime that will increase with tough economic times.

• Make your home look occupied, and make it difficult to break into.

• Lock all outside doors and windows before you leave the house or go to bed. Even if it is for a short time, lock your doors.

• Leave lights on when you go out. If you are going to be away, connect some lamps to automatic timers to turn them on in the evening and off during the day. Use motion detector lights outside.

• Keep your garage door closed and locked.

• Don't allow daily deliveries of mail, newspapers or fliers to build up while you are away. Arrange with the post office to hold your mail, or arrange for a friend or neighbor to take them regularly.

• Push-button locks on doorknobs are easy for burglars to open. Install deadbolt locks on all your outside doors.

• Know who belongs or does not belong in your neighborhood. If someone looks suspicious, call the police to have them checked out.

• Keep your yard clean and bushes and trees trimmed. You don't want to give burglars a place to hide or remain concealed as they come in and out of your yard.

• If you have an alarm system, use it, even if you are only leaving for a short time. While they may not prevent burglary's they do reduce the amount of items taken and many times when the alarm goes off the burglar will leave with out taking anything. Whether you have an alarm system or not buy signs that say you have an alarm and place them around your home.
  

The thing about burglaries is that one or two people can do 5 or 6 burglaries in a day. A few days of doing this and the crime rate can rise dramatically in just a short time. When we catch these persons the crime rate drops just as dramatically. We will catch these people and things will return to normal. The most effective way to catch these burglars is through help from the public. Deputies can not be everywhere and most burglars are caught when someone calls in a suspicious person or vehicle or when a burglar is caught in the act. I ask everyone to be extra vigilant and be our eyes and ears, it is a cliche but its also very true that crime prevention begins at home.

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I'm a Winner, I Think?

In the words of our own Governor Bill Richardson when receiving the Santa Fe Reporter's "Best Local Politician Award for a second year in a row", “I’m a very fond and avid reader of the Reporter, even when you guys poke fun at me.”

I was reading the Winners and Losers section for this week when low and behold, There I was. After reading the part pertaining to me, this blog and some honorary deputies I had to glance back up the page to see whether I was in the winners or losers column. Whew! I was in the winners column. Although when you read the section.................

Country singers

Perhaps it was a bit of a political risk for Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano to issue the oath of office to three country-rock musicians (Tobey Keith, Rodney Carrington and Ted Nugent) to lend more credibility to their roles as sheriff’s deputies in the film Beer for My Horses. After all, the quickest way to SFR’s “Losers” column is the use of public office to promote ridiculousness. On his blog (sheriffgregsolano.blogspot.com) Solano defends his decision after seeing the local preview screening of the film, which made him LOL several times over.

OK, in all seriousness I look at these types of things as no different then when the mayor or governor issues a proclamation doing things like...."making it Santa Fe Reporter Day" when celebrating an anniversary? Also a small correction, I actually did not know until I saw the movie months later that they were playing deputies in the movie. Other wise things like the honorary deputy, or giving a celebrity or sports star the key to the city is just a fun way of building community pride and promoting our community or state. A lot of what a political figure does is to promote the community, attend meetings, set policy, and be a sounding board for the community as well as be a voice for the citizens. Some of this involves pomp and circumstance while most of it involves rolling up your sleeves and getting things done.

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Santa Fe Fiesta Parade and Our Next Sheriff

I attended the Santa Fe Fiesta Historical/Hysterical parade on Sunday Sept 7, 2008 with my wife Antoinette, many family members and my kids. It was a lot of fun and this was the first time in years I got to watch from the sidelines rather than be on a float or stagecoach. There were political entries, schools, sports, Fiesta royalties from Santa Fe and surrounding communities, nice cars and trucks, business and non profits and just some community members who wanted to have fun. I was surprised to also see two entries from a couple of gentlemen who seek to replace me in a little over two years. I received a lot of calls and comments from people who let me know they are sad to see me go. Many thought the candidates were running this November to replace me this year.

I still have over half my second term left and god willing I will still be Sheriff until January 1, 2011. While I am purposely not mentioning the names of those who were in the fiesta parade seeking to get name recognition and try to be my replacement, I am going to come out really early and tell you who I am endorsing. Current Undersheriff Robert Garcia is running for Sheriff in the 2010 June Primary and I will not only be endorsing him, I will whole heartily give him any support I can. Robert is a former Union President, former Santa Fe City Police Sergeant, Former member of the armed forces, and was my mentor in both union and police disciplines throughout my early police years. He also saved my butt if not my life during several bouts with criminals.

Robert has been an integral part of my administration and been responsible for many of our successes in the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office. Even though I still intend to be around over two more years I have complete confidence that when the time comes Santa Fe County voters can do no better than to elect Robert Garcia as my replacement.

So now back to the parade, Here are a few pictures I took of the parade.

Gun Toting Teachers Hit Texas Town

Since most other bloggers are covering the Democratic Convention I have stuck to other issues. Today I thought I would talk about a small Texas town who has decided to allow its teachers to carry concealed weapons on campus. Harrold Texas is a town with only 320 people listed in the 2000 census. The School has about 100 students and the town reportedly has a zero crime rate. Depending on the news story you read the local sheriffs office is 17 miles away or 30 minutes away, which with lights and sirens means a deputy is about five to 12 minutes away.

Despite all of this the local school board has not only allowed teachers to carry concealed firearms they have provided training, 40 hours worth, to the teachers who have decided to carry firearms to school. The school board has declined to release just how many teachers are carrying firearms and have also declined to name who the teachers are. This decision is supposedly based on the school boards contention it would release security details to possible attackers. According to many parents the school board made this decision with out proper notification and discussion with the parents.

Superintendent David Thweatt of the Harrold Independent School District says he studied the issue for two years while he filled his school with more than 100,000 dollars in state-of-the-art security systems. According to Superintendent Thweatt even with the new keyless entry, camera system, lock-down buttons and classroom telephones, Thweatt said he still could not have prevented a mass murder like the one in an Amish one-room schoolhouse in Pennsylvania in 2006 that left five girls dead.


The move by the school district is attracting attention not only across the nation but in other countries as well. The Republican governor of the state Rick Perry, has endorsed the idea. The governor is a staunch advocate of right-to-carry provisions and has advocated allowing licensed gun owners to carry them into places where they can currently be banned, such as college campuses, churches, bars and private businesses. Some in Texas do oppose the gun toting teachers including Texans for Gun Safety board member Linda Siemers who said teachers or students carrying guns around school "is a terrifying idea." The Houston Teachers Union has voiced opposition to the program and the Dallas Morning News has issued an editorial against the program as well.

I support concealed carry for properly trained citizens. I fully agreed with Barack Obama's quote in his acceptance speech just a few hours ago.

"The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than they are for those plagued by gang violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals."

While I can see some good in having armed personnel in schools, I believe arming teachers is not the answer. The odd thing is that when you combine the claimed security costs of $100,000 of equipment that has been installed in this particular school and the costs of training and liability insurance costs the school must incur then you could put an armed trained officer in the school for at least two years if not three. The liabilities don't end with the fact that a teacher could shoot someone or have their weapon taken away and used against them. What happens when a teacher feels threatened or uses bad judgment in when to draw and point a weapon at someone? Money that could have gone to education or to a certified, trained, and armed officer in school will go to the parents of the students who sue the teacher and school involved in the incident.

Law enforcement officers who attend 22 weeks of training and an additional 40 hours of training every two years get sued regularly for alleged excessive force complaints. I can see a lawsuit if not several as this program continues. Police officers go through psychological testing and extensive background checks in addition to all the training they receive. How many teachers would carry weapons if they had to go through psychological testing? How many would pass the tests? If someone fails a psychological test would you want that person teaching your kids with or without a concealed weapon?

I have spoken in this blog in the past about the cuts from the Bush administration which have all but removed federal funding for cops in the schools programs. President Clinton understood the need and included the program as part of the COPS programs which put 100,000 more cops on the streets and in the schools. We all want our children safe in schools however we must be reasonable and think through ideas before taking extreme measures which could backfire and create more problems than they are designed to solve.

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Dear Mario, Keep up with the Blogs!

Apparently a fellow blogger is a little behind on reading my blog, shame on you. You need to keep up if your going to have blog posts that are not behind the times. Way back on June 16, 2008 I endorsed Martin Heinrich in his race against Darren White. A full month later Mario Burgos decides to take issue with that endorsement. Mario Burgos decided to accuse me of being of all things, A DEMOCRAT! Ok, Mario , I admit it, as the Elected Democratic Sheriff in Santa Fe County I am a registered Democrat. I also have to admit that I read your blog, along with 58 others on a daily basis, thank god for Bloglines. For those who don't know what bloglines is, it is a FREE online service for searching, subscribing, creating and sharing news feeds, blogs and rich web content. It allows me to easily keep up with peoples blogs that I am either interested in or want to keep track of what they are saying.

A photo of myself speaking about my endorsement of Martin Heinrich with Congressman Rahm Emanuel, Martin Heinrich, and members of the I.A.F.L. Firefighters Union behind me.

Now I'm not talking about spying but in order to be well informed you need to listen to not only those who share your political philosophy but also those who do not. That is why I read Mario's blog along with many other right wing blogs and websites. Another thing Mario accuses me of is wanting to federalize local police forces. Apparently he is not a regular reader of this blog. Why only last Wednesday August 20th I posted this blog post in which I spoke about my distrust and disapproval of a justice department proposal of a new domestic spying measure designed to allow state and local police to collect intelligence about citizens and share the data with federal agencies.

Apparently Mario just has a hard time believing that I can make a decision based on anything else but partisan politics. Well Mario, I don't expect you to admit it and I don't even want you to admit it, but you are wrong. Darren White has not received my endorsement because he and I have political and philosophical differences that are so far apart I could not endorse him.

The fact remains that successful law enforcement efforts require a nationwide approach and federal grants and funds allow that type of approach to take place. Never was the success of national crime policy more successful than during the Clinton Administration when the COPS programs helped reduce crime and introduce community policing to a nation of police who had no idea what community policing was before these programs were introduced to them. At a time when there are more school shootings, there are less police in the schools as funding for them has been cut to the bone.

These are not just Republican or Democrat issues and I hope readers will take note, what I most fault Darren White for is not using his position and influence in the Bush Administration to address the law enforcement issues we have faced in recent years. On the other hand I have spoken to Martin Heinrich and I fully believe he understands the issues and will go to bat for the safety of our homes, our families and our children.

Local Police Could Become Spys, A Tool or a Weapon?

I was reading a story by Trip Jennings in the New Mexico Independent Website which was based on an article in the Washington Post. The article intrigued and concerned me. The articles describe a Justice Department proposal to implement a new domestic spying measure designed to allow state and local police to collect intelligence about citizens and share the data with federal agencies. The local agencies would also be able to retain the data for up to 10 years.

As I read the Washington Post story I tried to decide, is this good or bad for local law enforcement? It reminded me in a very roundabout way of one of the first times I was called to a homicide scene as a young officer. On May 10 of 1989 I was called to a home on Urioste Street. It was about 3am and Connie Brito had called police to report she found her 100 year old Grandfather Pino Madrid beaten in his bedroom. I arrived at the home to find this 100 year old grandfather in his bedroom. His bedroom looked like a scene from a horror movie with blood everywhere including the ceiling. Mr. Madrid was still alive and actually sitting up on the bed.

He had 18 to 25 holes in his head all bleeding. When I would try and apply pressure with towels there were too many holes to cover and when I would cover some wounds, increased blood would flow from the remaining holes. His genitals were swollen to the size of cantaloupes which was so out of place it looked inhuman. We later discovered Connie's husband John Brito had beaten his wifes 100 year old grandfather with a claw hammer. The beatings with the claw end were so intense the steel claw had broken off the hammer in Mr. Madrid's skull during the attack. Amazingly Mr Madrid survived until June 2, 1989 before succumbing to his injuries.

What does this have to do with local police gathering spy type information on citizens? I like working with my hands and often do home remodel projects, woodworking projects and other Tim Allen type man stuff. In doing this work the claw hammer is a tool that one can hardly do without and does much good for mankind. With the hammer you can provide shelter for the homeless, build hospitals, soup kitchens, and schools to teach our young. When asked if the hammer is a good invention most people would say yes. But even the best intentions can turn bad. In the death of poor 100 year old Pino Madrid the hammer was a weapon and not a tool. A real cruel vicious weapon that had to have inflicted horrible pain upon a man in the last days of his life.

There may be some good in allowing local officers to play international spy and maybe develop important information which could one day prevent a terrorist attack on American soil. On the other hand some officers could use this to gather intelligence on groups which are not doing anything illegal and are not planning to do so. Perhaps, church groups? How about NRA members or political groups? Can't happen?

In the Washington Post article incidents of local police spying on political and other activists groups are described. In Maryland State Police agents spied on death penalty opponents and antiwar groups in 2005 and 2006. Undercover New York police officers infiltrated protest groups before the 2004 Republican National Convention and California state agents eavesdropped on peace, animal rights and labor activists. There have also been revelations that Denver Police spied on Amnesty International and others before being discovered.

Local police currently gather data and intelligence on criminals involved in Drugs, Gangs, Burglary Rings and other crimes which are both investigated and prosecuted by local police and District Attorneys. The types of data we now gather are really based on ongoing criminal investigations or known criminals. I do think we have a responsibility on a local level to keep our eyes and ears open for national crimes, and should be trained to recognize and deal with possible terrorist threats. We also have a responsibility to report these tips or information to federal authorities. I do not think we should make junior g-men out of local law enforcement.

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Have Officers Outgrown Cops in the Neighborhood Programs?

This story in the Santa Fe Reporter made me wonder whether Police Officers have outgrown these types of programs. At the same time some residents don't want the officers living in their neighborhood. In the story Mark Sanders describes some residents who oppose a program called the Caretaker Housing in City Parks. The Program would provide affordable housing for police in city parks. It is designed to provide more security to parks and the neighborhoods which surround them as well as help provide local housing for officers who increasingly are living in outlying areas and communities such as Rio Rancho.

This is a serious problem as I described in this blog post entitled "cops don't live here anymore". Mark didn't mention what kind of housing would be put into the parks. Will they be manufactured housing? Mobile Homes? or real single family housing? These questions among others are important. Also the city may want to do a survey or take applications to find out just how many officers would live in this type of housing. When I first became a rookie officer in 1988 I started at a little over $6 an hour. we had city police officers living in city housing projects. Not as part of a community policing program but because they qualified to live there based on their income and family size. Many officers were also on the Federal Food Stamp Program. Aside from retirement which has always been good for law enforcement officers in New Mexico, men and women really became officers because they wanted to help others and because they grew up wanting to be cops, not for the pay.

Now starting pay for officers is up to a respectable level of just under $15 an hour with officers making $18 an hour and more after the first year. Officers now expect more in terms of where they are willing to live. That is one reason many move to or buy houses in Rio Rancho and surrounding communities. It is not only that affordable housing is not easily available in Santa Fe but also the fact that your dollar buys a lot more outside of Santa Fe. Larger lot sizes, more square footage, and a new home for the price of an older used home in Santa Fe.

I often get people who want to rent guest homes or other housing in Santa Fe to a Law Enforcement Officer. Usually they are small guest homes or maybe a mobile home located on a business lot. The owner hopes to rent to an officer at a low rental rate in exchange for the security of having an officer living on their property. We also often have city and county properties including housing located in government housing projects or blighted areas offered to officers for little or no rent. Officers used to jump on these properties but in the past few years many of these offers go without takers. Officers are still underpaid compared to the levels of training, dedication, and hazards of the job. However, officers can now afford better and like all who want the American Dream they strive for better.

I am curious just how many officers will take these houses in the parks and whether or not the homes and yards can be made appealing to young officers and their families. I also hope the city considers the turnover that occurs in these types of homes. Once the officer saves money and moves up in pay and rank they will move on from this type of housing and hopefully into a home they own, still in Santa Fe. We really need to focus on making it appealing and financially sound for officers to become City of Santa Fe home owners rather than citizens of Rio Rancho. I commend the City of Santa Fe for doing something to keep officers living local and I hope they have considered the factors I describe in this post along with others to make this program successful.

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Cops Don't Live Here Anymore.....

Mark Sanders from the Santa Fe Reporter has an excellent cover story in this weeks Reporter detailing the fact that most cops who work in the city and county of Santa Fe, don't live here. Its a very in depth article and Mark did an great job of showing both the effects on the community and the officers themselves. Santa Fe is reaching critical mass as far as law enforcement officers living 30-60 miles away verses them living in the city and county. One item he touched on was the take home car program. It is a very beneficial program used by most police agencies in New Mexico. As both the City and County pass the 60% mark of officers who live outside the county we lose many benefits of the take home car program. Officers are allowed to take home their police cruisers for several reasons.

1. They can respond directly to an emergency with out going to the police station first when they are off duty and called out in an emergency.



2. They can respond to accidents, emergencies or reckless driving while en route to and from work and help on situations which they may drive up on.



3. Police presence in the neighborhoods reduce crime, (the police cars visible in neighborhoods).



4. Cars assigned to individual officers tends to reduce wear and tear and cars are kept in better condition because one individual is responsible for the vehicle, verses a motor pool type situation where many people use the same vehicle.



5. Take home vehicles are used as a perk to attract and retain personnel.
   It is an especially effective recruiting tool because other law enforcement agencies in the region have similar vehicle use policies for their officers. It stands to reason that a take-home policy would make an agency more competitive for the most qualified job applicants.



6. Take home vehicles let officers keep their special equipment, such as SWAT gear, organized and readily at hand.

As you can see from the list of benefits the take home cars make sense. However we lose some of the benefits when officers live 30 -60 miles away.

1. Officers still help when they encounter crime or accidents on their way to and from work however many times the help comes to citizens outside their jurisdiction so their ability to take action is limited.



2. There is still an increased police presence in neighborhoods but the benefit is for neighborhoods in other cities and counties which have more affordable housing. The City and County of Santa Fe is paying for safety and security of other communities.



3. While cars are still better maintained by individual officers versus motor pools the increased wear and tear put on by the increased mileage may negate some of the benefits. Gas costs are also greatly increased by the increased distances to and from home.

As you can see we start to lose the benefits of take home cars as we allow the costs to live here to be beyond the reach of our civil servants. When we look at the true cost to not have affordable housing in Santa Fe city and county it goes beyond simple dollars and cents. We start to encroach on the actual safety and security of our residents. Think about, doctors, nurses, firefighters, teachers and other essential personnel who are often needed in emergencies or whose shortage of available personnel is even worse in Santa Fe due to its high housing costs. What is the true cost of not ensuring we have housing available at all income levels?

There is much controversy over the proposed city transfer tax on high end homes in Santa Fe. The Transfer tax is designed to raise funds for affordable housing projects in the city of Santa Fe. There is probably many ways including the transfer tax to combat this problem and there is much disagreement on the best way to tackle the issue. However, we must tackle the issue. There is more than increased gas costs for take home vehicles on the line. The safety, security and sustainability of the county and city are at stake.

The Santa Fe Reporter article described Aspen, Colo., where the median home cost is so prohibitive (more than $6 million in the first quarter of 2008 for a single family structure) that the city has begun a lottery system for police department heads and emergency responders.“They get them at a reduced cost,” Sgt. Chip Seamans of the Aspen Police Department says. Department employees are eligible for the lottery after five years. The city then determines the cost of the property based on income. So depending on income, a new cop might pay $100,000 and a chief might pay $300,000 for a house. In either case, Seamans says, it is a great deal.“To be able to purchase a home in Aspen proper is a bit of a stretch for any government worker,” Seamans says, noting the starting pay for a rookie is $7 an hour better than in Santa Fe—$22.03.

We have probably already reached the point where we should consider this type of system for Santa Fe. There are those who would oppose this, at least until their home is burglarized, or until the S.W.A.T. team takes 50 minutes to respond to their emergency. I hate to bring up these instances since they could be thought of as scare tactics but it is the truth. Sometimes the truth is scary.