Coach Barry Switzer Coming to Santa Fe

We cordially invite you to a Birthday Celebration

for Antoinette Solano and fundraiser for

Robert A. Garcia for Sheriff

Special Guest: Former Dallas Cowboy and

Oklahoma Sooners Championship Coach Barry Switzer At the beautiful home of Pawan and Amrik Dhindsa

Wednesday May 19, 2010 6pm to 9pm

39 West Chili Line Road, Santa Fe New Mexico

Antoinette is asking that in lieu of gifts a donation be made to Robert’s campaign

Suggested donation is $20, any amount is greatly appreciated.

All supporters and Candidates are welcome to attend.

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My visit to Gold and Silver Pawn, Home of Pawn Stars.

I love garage sales, antique shops, and flea markets. As such I enjoy watching shows like Antique Road Show, American Pickers, and my newest favorite Pawn Stars. Pawn Stars is a reality show (is there anything but reality shows on TV these days?) set in a pawn shop in Las Vegas Nevada. Pawn Stars is on the history channel and tells the story of a real family business which is owned and run by the patriarch Richard Harrison (“The Old Man”), his son Rick Harrison (“The Appraiser”) and Rick’s son Corey (“Big Hoss”). The dynamics of the show are great and every show includes either a history lesson or a lesson in antiques.

















You never know what people are going to bring into the pawn shop to try and sell or pawn. On the one hand the shop never pays much over fifty percent of what an item is worth and the people who need the money often take the offer. On the other hand many of the people have no idea what they have or what it is really worth. Often experts are brought in to appraise the items and the owners of the items usually learn the items are worth much more than they thought however as I said earlier they walk out with about half of what the item is worth. The amazing thing is how much money this pawn shop has. It is not uncommon for the shop to buy items for tens of thousands of dollars in a blink of an eye and its always "cash money" which in itself entices those who need it to take less.

The characters in the show are interesting and fun to watch which is really what makes this show a hip antiques road show. My favorites are Rick and his dad Richard who is just known as "the old man". When I had to be in Las Vegas last week Antoinette and I made a point of visiting the pawn shop and got to meet "the old man" and one of the employees who is often on the TV show who is known as "Chumlee".

Richard "the Old Man" and I

Chumlee and I

Chumlee is the comedic side kick of the stars and plays the Jerry Lewis to the Dean Martin cast. The shop is quite unimpressive in real life and camera shots and angles definitely make it look nicer on TV. On the other hand it is a pawn shop! The shop has the usual pawn items for sale, tools, dvd's, musical instruments, and jewelry. But it also has Wrestling belts, a Denver Bronco Superbowl Ring sitting next to a Patriots Superbowl ring which is for sale for a mere $100,000 dollars. Antique rifles worth thousands and paintings and sculptures also priced in the thousands.

















Included with all that pawn stuff is the obligatory t shirts, coffee mugs, shot glasses, and even a paw n star pet food bowl for the dog who likes to watch pawn stars on TV.

















There are often lines outside the store as in order to manage the crowds since the TV show became popular there is an armed man at the door keeping the crowd inside at a manageable level and only allowing people in as those inside leave. If you watch the show I can tell you that "the old man" is as grumpy in person as he is on the show. Chumlee seems uncomfortable with his new found stardom but is polite and gracious with fans who want a picture or just to meet him. Rick and Big Hoss were not out of the back room while I was there and I was unable to meet them. The retail portion of the shop has just been expanded and if the shows popularity continues I can see the shop growing even more. It was a fun trip and if you have not yet seen the show I highly recommend it.

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While Our Kids are Dying, Lets Legalize Drugs.

I have had many discussions with many people about legalizing drugs. If you have read my blog you have probably read how passionate I am on the issue. I even have a search label on this blog allowing you to read all the drug legalization posts I have made.

I have always said that the best thing about having drugs illegal is that the arrest by law enforcement is often the only way those addicted to drugs get help. It is often the wake up call that they need help. Most arrests are not for having a joint or a pot pipe, in fact those cases usually amount to nothing more than a citation to go to court and they are sent on their way. Most drug arrests are for selling, having large quantity's, or committing crimes to obtain money to pay for their drug habit. The court ordered treatment is often the first and only treatment an offender gets. I do believe that we need to spend more on treatment. As a law enforcement officer most would not expect to hear this from me but I do advocate spending less on enforcement or having future funding increases not go towards enforcement but rather go to treatment which is sorely lacking in New Mexico and across this country. I am not alone in this call either. A recent meeting of D.A.'s , Cops, Police Chiefs, and Sheriff's said the same thing in a recent summit held in the overdose capital of the U.S. , Espanola New Mexico.

Jeff Proctor of the Albuquerque Journal did an excellent article on teens dying from Heroin in Albuquerque. The story needs to be read by every parent in the United States so I a posting it in this blog post also. The same story can be written in Santa Fe and worse in Espanola and Chimayo. Our kids are dying a horrible, nasty meaningless death that does not have to happen. It is my heartfelt belief that legalization of even less lethal drugs like Marijuana will lead to more addictions and more deaths. After reading the story by Jeff Proctor copy it and email it to every parent you know. It is a story worth repeating.

Heroin Stalks City Teens

By Story Jeff Proctor
Copyright © 2010 Albuquerque Journal Of the Journal

Steve Paternoster watched his 16-year-old daughter, Haley, fight for her last few breaths in a hospital emergency room. In the end, the heroin won.
Craig Weatherfield got a knock on his door and stood quietly as a police chaplain and three other officers told him what he had known the moment he saw their faces and uniforms: that his 20-year-old son, Nathan, had lost his battle with heroin Nathan and Haley had struggled with drugs on and off. Both had tried to get clean.
Haley died April 9, around 3 a.m. Nathan died Monday morning.

"This is just a terrible, terrible thing," said Steve Paternoster, a well-known restaurateur who owns Scalo Northern Italian Grill and Brasserie La Provence in Nob Hill. "Nothing's going to bring her back." The two join a growing list of young people who have fallen into the clutches of black tar heroin, which has plagued New Mexico for generations, and paid with their lives. Many of the most recent casualties came from well-off families, had plenty of love and support at home and had every other advantage.

A local substance abuse counselor calls it an "epidemic."
Heroin overdose deaths among New Mexicans between 17 and 24 has climbed steadily the past few years, from two in 2006 to six in 2007 to 15 in 2008, the most recent year statistics are available through the state Department of Health.
Experts say some teens start using expensive pharmaceuticals and transition to the cheaper heroin, which they inject, smoke or snort.

"Most of the ones I see overdosing are between 19 and 22," said Bob Barnes, who runs a local counseling agency called Recovery Unlimited. "I've seen the percentage going up, increasing rapidly due to the availability of these chemicals, particularly heroin and Oxycontin. Even as someone who worked in the field 24 years, I've never seen anything like it."

Law enforcement confirms the growing trend.
In fact, federal agents are working cases that involve the heroin and pharmaceutical trade among young people at affluent high schools, said Edward Knoth, assistant special agent in charge of the local Drug Enforcement Administration office.
"We have made some arrests on people supplying pharmaceuticals," he said, referring to a probe that was launched last year into drug trafficking at Eldorado High School. "It's totally separate people who are supplying the heroin in that area. So we're tracking it from two separate angles and trying to keep up a citywide attack, especially as it concerns high school-aged kids."

Knoth provided more details of an emerging pattern the administration is tracking locally and nationally of the progression of addiction and the easy access young people have to street drugs. "DEA has seen an increase in heroin usage, and a lot of that is people starting in high school with pharmaceuticals," he said. "They get hooked on the pills, which are opioids like heroin, and those are very expensive. So a lot of kids go on to heroin, which is a lot cheaper and very much available. We're hearing about a lot of young kids overdosing on heroin — 17-, 18-year-old kids."

Lynn Pedraza, director of Health and Wellness at APS, said Eldorado has a full-time substance abuse counselor, partly because the principal asked for one.
"The principal talked to me last year and said there had been problems," Pedraza said. So the position was kept full-time instead of cut to part-time as planned.
Of Albuquerque's 13 high schools, nine have full-time drug counselors. La Cueva is one of the four that doesn't, which Pedraza said is a matter of resources. "Substance abuse in general, in our community, is not funded at the level we need funded," she said.

'The apple of my eye'
Steve Paternoster was in Roswell on April 8 for a meeting of the New Mexico Military Institute Board of Regents. He noticed on his BlackBerry that the daily credit card report for La Provence hadn't been finished, so he called home.
Haley, who had spent the previous night snuggling with her dad and watching a movie, answered the phone. She assured Steve that she would let his wife, Jane, who is Haley's stepmother, know about the credit card issue and call right back.
She did exactly that, then went downstairs to play with her two younger brothers: Jameson, 2, and 5-year-old Jackson.

A short time later, as Jane was leaving the house with the boys, she told Jameson to knock on Haley's door and "tell Sissy goodbye."
Haley didn't answer. So Jane knocked. Still no answer.
Jane entered the bedroom and discovered that the bathroom door was closed and locked. Jane ran downstairs, grabbed a butter knife and came back up to jimmy the door.

"Haley was on the floor," Steve said. "No pulse. No breathing. The paramedics were here immediately. It looked like she took the drug — it was heroin — in both wrists. They also found some Vicodin. The paramedics were able to get her heart started, but she never regained consciousness."

Haley was rushed to University of New Mexico Hospital. Steve left his meeting and did the same. She hung on for 17 hours, all the while her breathing becoming more labored, her heart rate dropping, her fever climbing, her lungs filling with fluid.
Haley received "complete and compassionate care" from the hospital staff, Steve said. Several times, they would restart her heart, plead with her to stay alive.
As the evening wore on, it started to become clear that Haley wasn't going to make it.
"I said that if they couldn't make it where Haley would still be Haley, that I couldn't do it," Steve said. "The priest had come and administered last rites, so I issued a (do not resuscitate) order. Then, she went into arrhythmia, and this is something no one should ever have to witness: She sat straight upright in the bed, and her eyes flashed open. Then, she fell back. It was horrifying, and it will haunt me for the rest of my life. I told her it was OK to go, and she did."

The tragedy of it all aside, Steve wants everyone to know that he isn't ashamed of his daughter — and that she didn't commit suicide. "She was still doing OK in school, she loved being pretty, she loved her friends, she loved doing things for other people, and we had plans to go skiing this weekend," he said. "Everybody was crazy about her. She had good family support. And she was a kid who was getting high like her friends were getting high, and that's what she chose to do. But I'm certainly not ashamed of her. I'm crazy about her. She was the apple of my eye."

Haley had struggled with substance abuse the past few years. Between 13 and 14, she went through a Youth Court program and had gotten things turned around.
She had been enrolled at La Cueva High School, but Steve said it wasn't suitable for her recovery. "She didn't feel comfortable there, with the whole drug culture there. It's out of control," he said. "We're seeing an explosion in drug use here, and these kids in public school don't have a chance. These kids are getting high, and they're not just drinking and smoking pot. In fact, they turn their noses up at drinking. Their drug of choice is heroin. They're doing heroin."

La Cueva High School principal Jo Ann Coffee could not be reached for comment late Friday. Pedraza of APS said her department has used grant money to set up awareness training and programs to help students with drug addiction. She added, though, that drugs are available throughout the city.
"I do believe that drug abuse is across the district and across all socioeconomic status," she said.

It was Haley's 16th birthday, Christmas Day 2009, when Steve started to become aware his daughter was using hard drugs. He had bought her a car and in fairly short order started to notice all the detritus of addiction: dented wheels from driving loaded into curbs, smashed-in windows, cigarette butts floating in cups in the center console and, on one occasion, a missing stereo that Haley said had been stolen.
"I'm pretty sure she sold it," Steve said. So ,one day, as he was driving her to school, he asked her: "You have a problem, don't you?" "She nodded her head, 'yes,' in a very small way," Steve said. "And I asked her if it was the problem I thought it was. She nodded her head again, and then we went to work on getting her better."

'The kid was so smart'
Craig Weatherfield had watched his son, Nathan, who was 20 when he died on Monday, walk the dark hallways of addiction for a few years.
So when the police chaplain, accompanied by three other officers, arrived on Craig's doorstep, he already knew what he was about to hear.
"As soon as I saw them, I just knew it had to be terrible news," he said.
Nathan had not been living with his parents.
"We went through the fights, the holes in the walls, and he and I were just having a terrible time getting along," Craig said. "One morning, there was a fight, and it turned into a domestic violence situation, and Nathan went to jail. A judge issued a no-contact order, and he moved out."

Nathan had struggled with marijuana and alcohol abuse since his teens, when he was a student at Eldorado High School. And he had tried to get clean.
"We were trying to deal with it," Craig said. "And there were definitely times when he seemed to be receiving counseling and other stuff well."
Nathan dropped out of Eldorado before his senior year. A self-starter, Nathan got his GED and, later, an associate's degree in computer science from Central New Mexico Community College.

"When he put his mind to something, you just couldn't stop him," Craig said. "The kid was so smart. He taught himself how to build computers, and he was always fixing everyone's computers. And he taught himself to play piano. He was really interested in music production. "I'll tell you something: He used to go on 50-mile hikes with the Boy Scouts, and he wasn't even a Scout. He just loved to be outside."
Nathan's parents had known their son was using heroin for about a year. They'd seen it before. His older brother started smoking heroin a few years ago, and within two weeks, he couldn't stop. He went to his parents with his problem and was able to turn his life around. "That just shows you how insidious this thing is," Craig said. "Boy, we could've lost two of them just like that." Nathan had been in counseling in recent months. His parents saw glimmers of hope. "But then the drugs took over again, and we just couldn't control him," Craig said.

Craig is alarmed at how easy it is for young people to get heroin and other street drugs. "These kids can send a text or make a call and have something at their front door in 15 minutes," he said. "And that's ... all over town. "I'm going to reach out to other parents. I've got to do something. If I can spread the word or help out — I just want to try to help in any way I can. No parent should ever have to live through this."

Journal Staff Writer Hailey Heinz contributed to this story
Signs of heroin or prescription drug abuse
• Nodding off during the day and sleeping a lot.
• Declining grades.
• Changes in friends or attitude.
• Frequently asking to see a doctor.
• Wearing long sleeves in the summer.
• Scratching frequently.
• Missing money or other valuable items.
• Burnt foil, bent spoons or other drug paraphernalia.
— Source: Bob Barnes, Recovery Unlimited
Resources for recovery
• Turquoise Lodge, inpatient rehab, 841-8978
• Metropolitan Assessment and Treatment Services (MATS), short-term
detox, 468-1555
• Endorphin Power Company, sober living facility, www.endorphinpower.org,
268-3372
• Casa Los Arboles, recovery home, www.abqhch.org/casa_los_arboles.htm,
766-5197
• Recovery Unlimited, outpatient counseling, 292-4849
• Lifestyle Recovery, outpatient counseling, 345-6801
• A New Awakening, outpatient counseling, www.anewawakening.com, 224-9124
• Narcotics Anonymous, 12-step recovery meetings, www.riograndena.org,
260-9889

Funny Friday, Blacker Than Obama?

In January Rod Blagojevich was chastised for saying "I'm blacker than Barack Obama. I shined shoes. I grew up in a five-room apartment. My father had a little laundromat in a black community not far from where we lived," Blagojevich said. "I saw it all growing up." Later, Blagojevich said the comment was "stupid, stupid, stupid." He said it was meant as a metaphor for his disappointment with Obama, whom he accused of doing more to help Wall Street than Main Street. In this Funny Friday Video my favorite Obama Impersonator makes fun of the Blagojevich fiasco with this youtube video. Be sure and check out his other great videos under the name Alphacat on YouTube.

Video from County Commission District 3 Forum

Last night Undersheriff and candidate for Sheriff, Robert Garcia and I attended the forum for Santa Fe County Commission candidates in District 3. It was well attended and very interesting to watch. The three candidates have very distinct speaking styles, issues that are near and dear and very different approaches to the campaign.

Robert Anaya has a down home country boy feel to him and his speaking style is low key but to the point, he approaches the commissioner position as that of a consensus builder. Robert is a former county employee and brother to current County Commissioner Mike Anaya who cannot run again due to term limits. He lives in Stanley New Mexico in Santa Fe County. David Bacon is an issue based speaker whose heart is in renewable energy and environmental concerns, his speaking style is that of someone who likes to use facts and figures and is much less touchy feely. David lives off highway 14 in Santa Fe County. Angelica's speaking style is similar to that of a motivational speaker and has her stump speeches down pat, she approaches the commission candidacy from the perspective of a single mother of five children. She often brings up her five children and even pulled all five onto the stage to make a point. In her last few speeches she has brought up that she recently lost her job at United Way due to cut backs. Angelica lives in the city limits on Santa Fe's South Side. Voters certainly have a choice in these three very different candidates. I video taped the forum and posted each candidates opening statements below.

Robert Anaya Opening Statement

David Bacon Opening Statement

Angelica Ruiz Opening Statement

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Urban Legend: People are in prison for possession of Marijuana

Its not often I agree with Republicans on an issue however, Representative Dennis Kintigh from Roswell wrote a quest column on NMPOLITICS.NET which I whole heartily agree with. I remember reading in the news when a report was issued by a New Mexico Think Tank proclaiming that 853 people were supposedly sitting in prison for only a drug possession conviction.

When I read that I knew it was not true. No one, and let me repeat this NO ONE, goes to prison for merely a drug possession conviction in New Mexico. Now three, four, eight, or ten convictions yes. New Mexico has drug courts through out the state and judges will bend over backwards to get those caught with drugs a chance to turn their lives around.

Most who end up in prison for drugs have committed, assaults, burglaries, robbery's, fraud, forgery, and murder but often it is the drug case that is easiest to prove or one which the defense attorney has them plea bargain to because it actually has the lightest sentance when compared with the offenses they committed because of their drug problem. A drug conviction also allows the inmate an array of services and treatment that a burglary or assault conviction would not provide. Therefor defense attorneys encourage felons to admit to drug problems to lessen their time in prison and afford the inmate services. Interesting contrast here, defense attorneys often want to decriminalize drugs yet they use the drug laws as a benefit to avail their clients to lighter sentences with treatment which would not be available to them under decriminalization.

Getting back to Representative Dennis Kintigh. He looked into the claims by the think tank in his guest column and here are some excerpts:

One of the most recent manifestations of this "urban" myth was in September 2009 when a New Mexico “think tank” published a report damning the state’s drug laws because 853 people were supposedly sitting in prison for only a drug possession conviction. That report motivated me to write a letter to the Corrections Department because the department was the source of that statistic.

The written response I received showed that the 853 number was for inmates who had a drug possession conviction plus other criminal convictions. In fact, the number of people incarcerated for simple drug possession was 92. That is 92 out of almost 6,000 inmates.

However, even the 92 number is misleading.

The Corrections Department sent me the names of the 92 inmates. Through the Internet I was able to review the cases for these individuals. Randomly checking their cases revealed what I already knew. Even though they were listed as convicted of a simple drug possession, they were, in fact, in prison because of probation revocation or for being a habitual offender.

What is a habitual offender, you might ask? Well that is someone who has already been convicted of at least one felony and is now convicted of another felony. The first subsequent conviction requires a mandatory one-year sentence even if the sentence of the subsequent conviction is suspended. The second subsequent conviction results in a mandatory three-year sentence. The third one requires an eight-year mandatory sentence.

All of these habitual offenders who are convicted of drug possession are in fact repeat offenders.

I have always said that the best thing about making drugs illegal is that the arrest by law enforcement is often the only way those addicted to drugs get help. It is often the wake up call that they need help. Most arrests are not for having a joint or a pot pipe, in fact those cases usually amount to nothing more than a citation to go to court and they are sent on their way. Most drug arrests are for selling, having large quantity's, or committing crimes to obtain money to pay for their drug habit. The court ordered treatment is often the first and only treatment an offender gets. I do believe that we need to spend more on treatment. As a law enforcement officer most would not expect to hear this from me but I do advocate spending less on enforcement or having future funding increases not go towards enforcement but rather go to treatment which is sorely lacking in New Mexico and across this country. I am not alone in this call either. A recent meeting of D.A.'s , Cops, Police Chiefs, and Sheriff's said the same thing in a recent summit held in the overdose capital of the U.S. , Espanola New Mexico. So next time someone says our prisons are full of those convicted of drug possession you can look them straight in the eye and say " sure, and big foot was having carnitas on the Santa Fe Plaza yesterday".

New State Ban on Red Light Camera's Could Doom Santa Fe Program

Today The State Transportation Commission banned red light camera's and speed vans on state or federal roads. All communities with red-light cameras installed on state or federal roads have 60 days to remove them. A policy which was approved during a meeting held in Clovis outlined the ban. According to a story at cnjonline.com Santa Fe Police Department’s Capt. Anthony Robbins argued in favor of red-light cameras, citing statistics showing a more than 50 percent drop in red-light and speed violations at lights where cameras are installed. He also said the severity of crashes at those intersections is changing because of the cameras.

I am unsure of where those statistics came from because Santa Fe has not yet installed the camera's that were approved over 1 year ago. In February of this year the Santa Fe New Mexican reported that installation of the red light camera's were on hold pending state approval. All four cameras that were to be installed in Santa Fe were to be on four Cerrillos Road intersections — at St. Francis Drive, St. Michael's Drive, Richards Avenue and Zafarano Drive. Cerrillos Road is a State Highway and under the new ban all four of these intersections will be unable to have red light camera's installed. The speed van currently in use by the city of Santa Fe would also be banned from use on state or federal roads. This could doom Santa Fe's red light camera program . Redflex, the company the city is contracting with to install the camera's and run the program provides the equipment in exchange for a lease fee and a cut of the fines and administration fees to run the program. They require high traffic areas for the camera's in order to ensure the volume needed to provide adequate profit margins for the program.

Readers of my blog know I am not in favor of the types of red light programs being used by municipalities and the company redflex. 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 impoundment. 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 and redflex 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. I have always said that if red light camera's were legitimized by state law and offenders could go before a judge and plead their case I would be more amenable to the program. Although I still think the jury is out on whether red light camera's actually work to reduce accidents and save lives or if their only good for raising revenue. As of February the city of Santa Fe has issued $170,000 worth of speeding tickets from the speed van. A big chunk of that money goes to redflex and the rest is split between the city and the state. What has yet to be determined is whether redflex will be interested in putting camera's on smaller city roads as both Cerrillos Road and St Francis Drive are state roadways. I applaud the decision of the State Transportation Commission.

For lots more on Red Light Camera's click Here.

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Santa Fe County Sheriff's Race Forum

The Democratic Party of Santa Fe County held a forum on March 17, 2010 for all candidates running to replace me as Sheriff in the June Primary. I still get asked a lot why I am not running again, New Mexico has term limits on the Sheriff as well as all county officials. A sheriff can only serve two terms and then must sit out a term before he or she can run again. While I have made it clear on this blog I am supporting Undersheriff Robert A. Garcia in the race I still want to congratulate all the candidates on a good job. It takes a lot to run for office and you and your families are in for some trying times and some fun times. I commend all of you for putting yourself out there and opening you lives to intense scrutiny in order to do something you believe in.

The Forum was cordial and differences between most of the candidates answers were hard to find. The main difference was that candidates Tafoya, Doerfer, and Dalton were talking about what they would do while Garcia talked about what he had done. Tafoya often referred to his job in Bernallilo County where he works as a deputy. Tafoya a former Santa Fean, has moved back to Santa Fe a few months ago from Rio Rancho in order to run in this race. Doerfer often referred to his military and former sheriff's experience in answering questions while Dalton told short stories about his life during his answers. Undersheriff Garcia often had to remind the candidates that most of what they were proposing was already being done in the Sheriff's Office.

Below are videos of each candidates opening statements.

Undersheriff Robert A. Garcia

Candidate Rex Doerfer

Candidate Rubel Tafoya

Candidate Charlie Dalton

On the Set of True Grit with Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon

Today My wife and I visited the set of the remake of the 1969 film True Grit a film which in the original stared John Wayne. A good friend of mine Rusty Dillon (great name huh), arranged for my wife Antoinette and I to visit the set after the wrap on shooting for the day. In the 2010 version of True Grit, Jeff Bridges is playing Marshall Reuben J. 'Rooster' Cogburn in the film, which was originally played by John Wayne. Glen Campbell played Texas Ranger La Boeuf and his character is being brought back to life by none other than Matt Damon. Below is some pictures from the visit and also a pic of the Rounders DVD Card which Matt signed for me. Thanks to my good friend Rusty for arranging the visit. It was a blast!

Antoinette Solano, Matt Damon, and Sheriff Greg Solano

Antoinette Solano, Jeff Bridges, Sheriff Greg Solano, Matt Damon

Antoinette and Matt Damon

My Matt Damon signed DVD Card of Rounders

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Video from the Democratic Pre-Primary Convention

My wife Antoinette, Undersheriff Robert Garcia, his wife Christine and I attended the New Mexico Democratic Party Pre-Primary Convention over the last weekend. It was held at the Buffalo Thunder Resort and Casino which turned out to be a great venue for the event. There was lots of fun and lots of work, especially for the candidates and their devoted friends, family, supporters and staff. I have to give big kudos to those who turned out just to support their candidates. They all worked hard and the devotion to their cause showed. I recorded all the major candidates speeches and after a few days of editing into segments, converting them into MP4 format and uploading to you tube I have them available to you here. At the end of the speech videos you will find a video of State Chair Javier Gonzales reading the results of the delegates voting. For a bonus I have the National Dance Institute Kids video I took of them as they performed at the convention. Enjoy.

P.S. ( I am pretty sure I had more fun as a State Central Delegate then I would have as a candidate)






















































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Drug Interdiction Summit Seeks to Solve Northern New Mexico Drug Problem.

I have been writing a few articles for law enforcement publications and I thought I would share with you the following one I wrote for the New Mexico Lawman, a publication of the New Mexico Sheriff's and Police Association.

Drug Interdiction Summit Seeks to Solve Northern New Mexico Drug Problem.

Mayor Joseph Maestas spent his last days in office at a Drug Interdiction summit in his hometown of Espanola New Mexico. Northern New Mexico and Espanola have had a long history of Drug abuse that spans generations. Grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren within many families all are addicted or use drugs. The results are high property crime rates and the highest rate per capita of drug overdoses in the nation.

The summit was hosted by Mayor Maestas and City Police Chief Julian Gonzales on February 25, 2010 and included sheriffs, city police, state police, federal officials, district attorneys and members of the medical and treatment fields. The summit was facilitated by New Mexico First. Participants were broken up into two groups and each were tasked with coming up with ideas to combat the problem. Ideas were taken at large and broken down into groups of things we are not doing now, things we can do better and things we need to stop doing. Thirty or forty ideas were then broken down into four groups of importance from most important to least. The majority of participants were law enforcement and many in the public would be surprised to find that education, intervention, and treatment were very popular as opposed to incarceration and prosecution.

On the Law enforcement side a lot of participants felt that using recent efforts to strengthen and enforce D.W.I. laws would be a good model to use in drug interdiction. Making it the next state priority was the theme. Another popular idea was revising the states forfeiture laws to make them more usable and enforceable. Of course lack of funding was another big discussion.

New Mexico first is going to gather the results of the summit into a report and action plan which will hopefully be the blueprint for the future of combating drug abuse in Northern New Mexico. At the end of the day nine recommendations were made to be part of the action plan.

· A comprehensive strategy for coordinating programs for law enforcement, prevention, and training

· Formalizing and coordinating multidisciplinary, multi-agency drug interdiction initiatives

· A greater commitment to the Region III task force that is showing positive results in drug interdiction in the region

· A community involvement campaign targeting neighborhood associations, church groups, and rural groups in helping address narcotic and criminal activity

· Implementing evidence-based youth prevention programs

· Revising the state forfeiture statute

The summit recommendations will be turned over to an Implementation Team comprised of volunteers from the event who are in a position to move the recommendations forward. A full report on the results of the summit will be released in about two weeks and will be posted at www.nmfirst.org.

By Sheriff Greg Solano, Santa Fe County

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New Blog Torches New Mexico Politicians.

I was perusing facebook when I noticed numerous politicians including Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish, Albuquerque City Councilor Ken Sanchez, State Representative Ken Martinez, and Lieutenant Governor Candidate Lawrence Rael as well as several news media personalities had become friends with defamation suit. I never friend anyone who's name, photo, or other info looks suspicious without checking them out so I clicked on the facebook page and learned it was basically a facebook page to promote a new blog called nmdefamationsuit.com. Always one to investigate further I went to the blog where I found a blog like no other in New Mexico.

Now before you go looking let me warn you. The writer fancies his or herself a comedian, but not a Sinbad type comedian known for his lack of profanity but much more like Richard Pryor known for his harsh profanity laden humor. All politicians are fair game to this blog and partisanship is no shield. Although I have not seen the writer make fun of independents or green party candidates,.... Yet.

The writer is also not above making fun of our Lieutenant Governors female body parts or beyond lambasting the accent in Lt. Governor candidates Brian Colón's name, or whether or not he is Hispanic (had to google to figure out how to add the accent). The writer is also good with photoshop and animations as he or she has shown in the numerous photos accompanying the blog posts.




















(photoshop photo from nmdefamationsuit.com)

One photoshop art work shows a scene from a cocaine overdosed Al Pacino in Scarface with the head of Pete Dominici Jr. superimposed. The writer is anonymous and the only disclaimer on the web site is this: "This site makes humorous statements about public figures. Please keep your cease-and-desist e-mails to yourself." Now my writing about this persons blog probably puts a target on my back but heed this warning "I know what you drive!" LOL, see I can make a funny too.

The media is also not above lambasting as the writer makes fun of a story by Dan Mayfield an Albuquerque Journal reporter. The writer so far is careful to only comment on items already in the public and to comment on public figures thus avoiding an actual defamation suit but watch out, even the National Enquirer has lost a suit or two.

Continuing in my investigative ways I checked to see who the domain name was registered too and found the writer uses a service called Domainsbyproxy.com . The service allows individuals to register domain names through the service and for an extra fee of $9.00 a year they will be the named registered owner for you. The service does not protect your name in a civil or criminal matter when a subpoena or search warrant has been issued.

Anyhow, needless to say I will not be facebook friends with this site but I think many will be reading the blog if only just to see what is being said about us politicians next. The one thing this site is good for is showing anyone considering running for office why you need a thick skin and a loving family who can put up with all that will be said or written about you.

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Santa Fe County Democratic Convention

Antoinette (my wife) and I had a great time yesterday at the Santa Fe County Democratic Convention. The Convention was held to name delegates to the State Pre Primary Convention coming up in March at the Buffalo Thunder Resort. I am a State Central Committee Delegate so automatically I am a delegate to the pre primary however Antoinette was also elected a delegate from our ward as well.

State Chair Javier Gonzales addresses the crowd

In the morning there was registration and delegate elections and it was organized chaos. Actually registration was really smooth and then Antoinette and I joined 10 or 12 others working the crowd to enlist support and thank those who are already supporters of Robert Garcia my Undersheriff who is running for my job, the Sheriff of Santa Fe County. I was in campaign mode shaking hands, kissing baby's, and working hard for Robert.

Our next Sheriff Robert Garcia and I.

The response was overwhelming and I can't even count the number of my fellow Santa Fe County Dems who still wanted to vote for me in the Lieutenant Governor race. (I dropped out of the race a few months ago). Almost anyone running for anything statewide or local was there working the crowd as well.

In the afternoon we had to elect new State Central Committee Delegates to replace Eli Senna who's untimely death left a huge void in Santa Fe Politics as well as another seat which was vacated. Running for the two open seats were Michael Segura, Daniel Roybal, Estevan Gonzales, and John Thorpe. They all gave great speeches and then an election was held, Daniel Roybal and Estevan Gonzales won the seats in some close races.

Next we heard from all our state wide officials and candidates as well as candidates from all the local races. All my former Lieutenant Governor Candidates were present and I spent a moment and took pictures with all of them.

Lt. Gov. Candidate Jose Campos and I

Lt. Gov. Candidate Jerry Ortiz y Pino and I.

Lt. Gov. Candidate Lawrence Rael and I.

Lt. Gov. Candidate Brian Colon and I.

Lt. Gov. Candidate Linda Lopez and I.

The crowd was enthusiastic and I think this will be a great year for democrats in New Mexico! I took about 150 pictures with my cell phone camera and although the lighting in the gym made the pictures not come out so well they are still fun to look at. You can see them all here on my facebook page. It was a long day and Thank god for Bernie Loque y Perea who's great food booth and coffee kept my energy up. To all the 186 newly elected delegates congratulations and we will see you at the state pre primary convention at Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino on March 13!

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Sheriff Reacts to Domenici Jr.'s Cocaine Use.

New Mexico Law Enforcement Officials React to Domenici Jr.'s Drug Admission

February 18, 2010

ALBUQUERQUE - Two prominent New Mexico law enforcement officials, District Attorney Lemuel Martinez and Sheriff Greg Solano, reacted today to news that Domenici Jr. used illegal drugs and classified cocaine as a recreational drug in recent radio interview.

A copy of the letter is attached and the text of the letter is pasted below. A short audio clip of the Domenici Jr. interview is also attached. (attachment below)

February 18, 2010

Dear Citizens of New Mexico:

Last night, a candidate for Governor said something on the radio that deeply disturbed us – and probably many other listeners as well. During an interview on KKOB, Pete Domenici Jr. admitted that he had used cocaine, but what troubled us more was the fact that he called it a “recreational drug.”

Cocaine is not a recreational drug, plain and simple. It’s extremely unfortunate that a candidate for Governor would downplay the harmful nature of such an addictive and deadly drug.

As law enforcement officials on the front lines trying to get drugs like cocaine off our streets, we’re outraged by Pete Domenici Jr.’s careless characterization. Today we call on him to do the right thing and apologize for giving New Mexico children the impression that experimenting with cocaine is acceptable. Needless to say, it’s not.

Furthermore, as law enforcement officials and as concerned citizens, we sincerely hope Mr. Domenici Jr. will be honest with the people of New Mexico and say when he last used cocaine.

Mistakes can be forgiven, and many New Mexico families are facing similar problems, but the people of New Mexico deserve to know the facts.

Sincerely,

Lemuel Martinez, District Attorney, New Mexico's 13th District
Greg Solano, Santa Fe County Sheriff

Drug Use 2-17-10 Short-C 1.mp3

He Deserves to Make a Living, or Enough is Enough?

I read with mixed feelings about the return to the ring of boxer/recovering drug addict and five time world champion Johnny Tapia. On March 6, Tapia 56-5-2 is scheduled to make his return to the ring to fight Jorge Alberto Reyes 21-27-3. I know fellow New Mexican and Albuquerque native Johnny Tapia. No I have never met him personally and besides watching him fight Danny Romero on TV in 1997, a fight no one in New Mexico did not watch, I have only seen him in news clips over the years. So why am I so pretentious as to say I know him? Because I grew up with kids just like him as a young child growing up on Hopewell Street In Santa Fe. Hopewell Street was just down the road from 1801 Espinocitas in Santa Fe. 1801 is better known in Santa Fe as Sangre De Christo Apartments. The Projects as we called them growing up.

All us kids in the area went to Salazar Elementary and De Vargas Junior high back then and even though gang life did not proliferate our generation at that time, there was pretty much stoners, smokers, jocks, good kids and then there were always those who just didn't quite fit in. Drugs never did anything for me but they were all around me. The kids I hung out with all at least did pot, all got in trouble, whether it was stealing, ditching school or fighting and most did it all. I grew up the oldest kid in a family of four, and my single mother always worked two or three jobs and I had to stay home, be in charge and be responsible. By the time I was 15, I stopped doing any of that and began running away from home, hanging with the friends and getting into trouble. All those friends I hung out with are in prison or dead now. This brings me to Johnny Tapia.

Like any convicted felon or drug addict, he has a story to tell. At eight years old as he watched from the barrio he lived in, his mother Virginia was kidnapped, raped, hung, stabbed 22 times with scissors and a screwdriver, and left for dead by her assailant. Because no one believed him family members never called police and the body was found a few days later. Like me Johnny grew up around drugs but unlike me he partakes as well. The term "roller coaster ride" describes Johnny's life to a tee. His boxing nickname is also "mi vida loca" which translated means my crazy life. My mother once told me that there are always people whose life is worse than ours so we should be happy for what we have. I guess Johnny is one of those people.

As I read Geoff Grammer's story of Johnny's release from prison and upcoming fight I can't help wonder why the story glossed over his tribulations and went straight to his triumphs and upcoming fight. Maybe Geoff was trying to give Johnny a second chance and focus on the positive. The only problem is this is not Johnny's second chance, it is his fourth or fifth and maybe even more than that. Johnny has taken his family and fans on a wild ride from boxing to jails, to hospitals, to death and back again. The most amazing thing is the fact that his body has not only stayed living but has managed to stay somewhat fit through all it has been through. Boxing is probably one of the last sports you can do drugs time and time again and still go back for another shot in the arena.

I have long been a proponent of keeping drugs, even pot illegal. I was one of the few sheriff's in all of New Mexico to support medical marijuana but you can read about that in one of my past blog posts. And my stance on drug legalization is based on the fact that as I grew up just about everyone I knew who started with pot went on to other drugs and are in prison or dead today. The few who kicked the habit did so because they were arrested and forced into treatment. I have no doubt what so ever that they would not have stopped otherwise. It is my true belief that treatment rather than incarceration is the answer, but without law enforcement making those arrests most would never see any treatment at all. To those who turned their lives around I give kudos and my prayers of continued success. But when is enough, enough? At what point do you say to Johnny that you cannot do the things you do and still be licensed to fight in New Mexico or any other state for that matter? Tapia tested positive for cocaine three times between 1990 and 1991which lead to a three year suspension from boxing. During the three years he served his suspension it was reported he nearly died three times from drug overdoses. Is he really physically fit to fight? And if he were to die in the ring how many lawsuits will incur and how many people or insurance companies will pay because no one had the foresight to say this man should not be fighting?

If he does not fight how does this man who knows no other career make a living? I understand his wife is an saint for putting up with him, sticking with him in good times and bad and trying to save his life and his career as his manager. As a husband and father he needs to provide for his family and if Johnny really is going to turn his life around and make a new start maybe a complete new start away from his "vida loca" life style that got him here is the way to do it. It always seems that every time he gets out of jail he fights again, makes some money and then returns to the drug scene. I hope that is not the case this time, and while the loosely regulated New Mexico Boxing scene has allowed him back, I do think the sport needs to rethink its rules on drug use and boxing both on and off the canvass.

I don't know if Johnny Tapia will ever read this blog but if you do "demuestre que estoy equivocado".

Op-Ed on Political Scare Tactics

Following the below posted Press Release by Mayoral Candidate and Republican Asenath Kepler is an Op-Ed piece I wrote and was published in both the Albuquerque Journal North (subscription may be required) and the Santa Fe New Mexican (interesting comments). While my support and endorsement of Mayor Coss has been announced, I still feel that the true premise of my Op-Ed is about the poor use of scare tactics and not just the fact I am supporting Mayor Coss. These scare tactics are also being used by Kepler and her supporters on other issues as well, including Annexation.


KEPLER PRESS RELEASE
_______________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Mary Ann Crenshaw & Associates

505-982-8008

MAYORAL CANDIDATE ASENATH KEPLER TARGETS CRIME AS TOP PRIORITY and outlines her plan for reducing staggering statistics

Two well-known jewelry stores robbed in mid-afternoon in the heart of Santa Fe’s Plaza. A child’s purse snatched in her own Don Gaspar driveway, her grandfather beaten as he tried to intervene. An elderly man walking his dog in the Guadalupe Historic District pistol-whipped because he had no cash. A prominent downtown business owner murdered at 8 pm on the first night of Fiestas. A man robbed and shot on a popular recreation trail. A late afternoon armed push-in on one of Santa Fe’s busiest thoroughfares. These are just a few of the many recent incidents that make crime Asenath Kepler’s top priority.

“This isn’t the Santa Fe I’ve known for over than fifty years,” says Mayoral Candidate Asenath Kepler,”and this frightening rise in crime is completely unacceptable! We’re not only going to lose the downtown merchants but visitors and residents as well”

Kepler points to a staggering rise in statistics: robberies, auto burglaries and thefts and residential burglaries all up from the 2008 figures. “People -- particularly the elderly and those who live alone -- are afraid to leave their houses after dark, even in the most central neighborhoods,” she says. “I hear the concerns every day as I campaign.”

The problem, she maintains, is the lack of police presence, a direct result of fiscal irresponsibility at the city level. “We’re down by 40 police offers,” she says, “and if we don’t act now,” she says, “I fear a major downtown incident that may set us back by years. Our city’s residential and commercial burglary rate is fourth per capita in the nation. We don’t want to wait until we’re number-one before the mayor takes action!”

Her solution: Re-allocate resources to provide increased police protection for residents and visitors alike. Kepler plans to do that with:

• Increased and highly visible police presence in our neighborhoods and downtown Santa Fe. Kepler would work with downtown merchants to create substations in the Plaza and other downtown neighborhoods, to be manned by both police officers and public safety assistants.

• An immediate and complete audit of all city functions, seeking adjustments of programs and services as well as staff reassignments that would provide enough savings for this increased police protection.

• Public safety vacancy allocations. Under the current system, city employees who retire with accrued sick and vacation days are left on the books until their sick and vacation leave is paid out, a process that can take up to two years. Consequently, the vacancy is not filled until that time. Under Kepler’s plan, fiscal reorganization will provide a budgetary fund that would apportion departmental projects that would allow the police department to fill vacancies immediately.

• Community roundtables and neighborhood forums that would allow residents to vent their frustrations, express their concerns and participate in the solutions. Kepler would work with schools to develop neighborhood centers and increase neighborhood watch groups, with PSAs assigned to assist each group.

“Crime affects the entire community,” Kepler maintains. “Without a stop to this out-of-control crime spree we cannot hope to attract more business, more tourists or more residents. We need to make Santa Fe once again the safe, secure and neighborly city that has been its image for the past 400 years.”

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My Op-Ed Response.

Inflated Crime Stats Serve Candidate's Scare Tactics.

Crime is often used as a political weapon during elections. I found mayoral candidate Asenath Kepler's "crime plan" press release disturbing in that it picks out certain incidents over the last year and attempts to scare residents into voting for her.

Many of her ideas were tried and failed during the times when Debbie Jaramillo was mayor and Chief Donald Grady was running the police department.

Substations sound good to residents because they think that an officer will be sitting in a substation waiting for a phone to ring and then they will rush out to a crime just blocks away. Manned substations take officers who could be out on the streets doing preventative patrolling, catching speeders, looking for burglars and being a presence in the community and put them behind a desk.

It was tried in Albuquerque and Santa Fe and was a complete failure. You can see remnants of the old substations at Frenchy's Park, the downtown Public Library and on Alameda Street. The city police and the county sheriff's office along with state police and other agencies have a successful joint burglary task force which is working to bring down burglaries and property crimes with success.

Property crimes are on the rise throughout the nation, and New Mexico and Santa Fe is not immune. However, by creating a false reputation of Santa Fe as a high-crime city, this candidate's political scare tactics are hurting all of us. This could further damage our already lower tourist and travel industry, which is reeling from the economic downturn as a whole.

I have been impressed by Mayor Coss' ability to increase police officers in the city police force from 124 to 154 officers over the last four years. This increase in the number of police officers on the streets is greater than under any other mayor in Santa Fe's history. When you pull out the mostly economy-driven property crimes in Santa Fe, you will find that violent crime, sex crimes, and overall crime are at their lowest levels in eight years.

There is always more that we in law enforcement can do, but we must be very suspicious of candidates who try and scare up votes rather than earn them.

Greg Solano is the sheriff of Santa Fe County.


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