No more APD raises until the clown show ends
-- APD's command staff is not in command of anything but a clown show.
-- APD's top honchos have not performed satisfactorily to get raises.
-- City council, do your job and close our checkbook. Put a stop to the rich and powerful getting more of our money while our citizens are sitting in food lines begging for a meal.
-- Geier and Keller are using our money to buy love.
It seems that Mayor Tim Keller and Police Chief Mike Geier are taking a page out of the Marie Antoinette playbook when it comes to making the rich richer on the backs of the poor.
How else can a citizen of Albuquerque explain the already high paid, top-heavy APD command staff being given even more raises on the backs of taxpayers? Thousands of these taxpayers are now out of work, through no fault of their own, and at risk of losing their homes. How tone deaf are the members of APD command staff to demand raises while their community is falling apart? How stupid is it of Geier and Keller to cave in and give out these raises?
Since Keller became mayor, he has given the already over paid members of Geier’s command staff staggering raises and allowed Geier to create a bureaucracy that is so top-heavy that nothing seems to get accomplished except for embarrassing in-fighting. The latest raises came at the end of July when, based upon Geier’s own memo, at least one APD deputy chief went to him complaining that he should be paid more than everyone else. These deputy chiefs already are making over $130,000 per year as a base salary. How much more do they want from us?
How did Geier and Keller respond? They gave in to the jealous whining and opened taxpayers' wallets and handed out more of our money to people who I don’t believe need it and whose job performances doesn’t support it. I must ask, have Geier and Keller ever told these high-priced prima donnas in APD command staff “NO!”? It seems Geier and Keller want to be loved so much that they have vacated their oath of fiscal responsibility to the taxpayer. They use our money to buy the love and loyalty of APD's command staff, ignoring the fact that these people have been utter failures in management of APD and at reducing crime in our city.
APD's top honchos have not performed satisfactorily to get raises. Last year they produced false crime stat information. Their planning and response to several protests has been vilified by many in the community. Crime continues to spin out of control. APD command is currently the target of investigations by the State Auditor, the Attorney General and APD Internal Affairs. The past PIO officer retired after being interviewed by IA. The current chief of staff was bringing his dog to work, which was causing a disruption in command. Geier and his secretary have both filed complaints against the chief of staff. Needless to say, APD's command staff is not in command of anything but a clown show.
It now falls upon the city council to do their fiduciary duty and protect our money from this ridiculous spending frenzy Keller and Geier have embarked on. I know, the city council seems oblivious to everything, but it is their duty to be the grown-ups when it comes to spending our money.
City Council President Pat Davis must immediately produce legislation that puts a moratorium on any further pay raises for APD command staff (commanders, chief of staff, deputy chiefs and chief). No further raises or payroll enhancements for any of them until we start seeing some success.
What does success look like?
The DOJ consent decree is fully complied with and Dr. Ginger leaves.
No more fake news crimes stats like they produced in 2019.
All categories of crime drop significantly.
Murder solve rate increases to 80 percent.
APD retains, for an entire year, 1,100 sworn officers.
State Auditor Colón and Attorney General Balderas finish their investigations and APD fully implements ALL of the recommended changes.
These are the successes that APD command must show before they are given any more raises.
Geier and Keller need love. If they can’t get it willingly, they use our money to buy it. I say ENOUGH!
City council, do your job and close our checkbook. Put a stop to the rich and powerful getting more of our money while our citizens are sitting in food lines begging for a meal. Isn’t this how the French Revolution began?
