Since taking office on December 1, 2017, every quarter when APD has released the city’s crime statistics, Mayor Tim Keller has done a press conference to release the statistics. He did so on July 1, 2019 to report the statistics for the 2019 second quarter and to compare them to the 2018 midterm year numbers. Keller reported that crime was down significantly , with double-digit drops in many categories including violent offenses such as robberies, aggravated assaults, and rapes.

On Sunday, December 1, 2019, the Albuquerque Journal published a front-page story that all the crime rate reductions Mayor Tim Keller reported in a July 1, 2019 press conference were in fact seriously flawed and false. According to the report, both the 2019 mid-year statistics and the statistics released at the end of 2018 were revised dramatically to include hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of more incidents than were initially reported.

The final numbers for all of 2018 showed violent crime actually increased, and in many categories the crime rates only dropped in single digits and not the double digits reported by May Keller. At an October meeting of the City Council, APD provided the revised statistics but failed to report that the numbers had changed drastically. Mayor Keller also did not hold any kind of a press conference to correct nor announce the corrected statistics.

You can review the corrected statistics in the postscript after this article.

https://www.abqjournal.com/1335502/crime-declining-in-albuquerque-new-numbers-show.html

APD CHANGES IN HOW IT HANDLES CRIME STATISTICS

On December 13, APD officials held a news conference to explain what went wrong and what they are doing to prevent it from happening again. APD announced changes in how it handles and reports crime statistics. The officials said that the Keller Administration had been unintentionally releasing incomplete data for the last two years

It was during the December 2 City Council meeting that Deputy Chief Armijo for the first time blamed the inaccurate statistics on different software programs that are antiquated and that are not fully integrated. At one point, Armijo told City Councilors that when APD converted its data system in 2018 from the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) system to the National Incident-Based Reporting System(NIBRS), APD’s crime statistic “numbers went into a black hole”. National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBERS) is more sophisticated and is an incident-based reporting system used by law enforcement agencies for collecting and reporting data on crimes. When the glitch was discovered, the system was re-calibrated and the numbers were downloaded onto the new system

Prior to 2018, APD reported data using the Summary Reporting System, which included eight categories and counted only the most serious offense during an incident. Starting in January 2021, the FBI will no longer accept data in this format. The FBI is requiring crimes to be counted through the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), which uses far more specific categories and counts virtually all crimes within a single incident rather than just the most serious.

During the December 13 press conference, APD Deputy Chief of Staff Elizabeth Armijo said APD realized in the last few months that all the quarterly briefings done by Mayor Tim Keller had been comparing the previous year’s final numbers for each time period to the current year’s preliminary numbers. According to Armijo, the Keller Administration is evaluating how it will release data to make sure it’s as accurate and up to date as possible. She said they’re not sure yet how frequently it will be provided and explained it this way:

“Moving forward, the data that is released will be that finalized data where everything has been analyzed. … The margin of change will be much more minute.”

https://www.abqjournal.com/1401152/apd-explains-incomplete-crime-data.html

APD Deputy Chief J.J. Griego Deputy is in charge of the records division and explained that the new system collects more detailed information. He also revealed a huge backlog of cases that were not included during the counts and said:

“At one point, that backlog that I was talking about was up to 25,000 reports that had not been processed all the way through the system. … Due to the efforts … of the records division it’s below that now, at 6,700 reports.”

According to Greigo, there are 15 positions in the records unit but, at some point, it had been reduced to five employees but as of the beginning of December, there are 11 employees in records. The goal is to increase the records unit to 20 full time records keepers.

According to Deputy Chief Griego:

“The next time we release stats, what we’re going to do is make sure we validate those statistics before we release them to the public. … We want to release the most complete data as we can. We want to be transparent in that release of data, and what we’re striving for is to get congruence in those two factors and ensure that we are releasing data that may change but it should not change as dramatic as it changed in this particular release.”

https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news/apd-promises-better-reporting-of-crime-statistics/5578323/?cat=500

MORE ON WHAT WENT WRONG

Alarmed by the December 1 Albuquerque Journal report that crime statistics were dramatically understated, the Albuquerque City Council during its December 2 meeting confronted the Keller Administration. The City Council asked Keller Administration Chief Administrative Office Sarita Nair and Deputy APD Chief of Staff Liz Armijo what caused the statistics fiasco, how many years had it been going on and what is being done to correct the problem. You can review the entire exchange and discussion here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsAOmTRsT0M&fbclid=IwAR2u1UdcKadW_RsygeRZSadJ6FIqGuGgyQJVkdZsa07lQet3vvGSbuV0tzo

During the exchange with city councilors, Chief Administrative Officer Sarita Nair cited several major reasons for the false numbers. The reasons cited include:

1. Antiquated data collection systems, inefficient technology and the lack of an “across the board integrated data reporting system”.
2. Delayed reporting of crimes to APD by victims
3. A shift in how APD categorizes certain crimes
4. Human error in labor intensive manual record making and record keeping process
5. A shortage of 8 employees in the APD records division.

The Keller Administration is also asking the NM Legislature for $20 million to modernize “crime fighting” technology, including an updated record management system.

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

A sure way for any Mayor to lose credibility with the public is to repeatedly announce reductions in crime and then having to admit the statistics announced were dramatically from the truth. What is downright embarrassing is when the Mayor’s own Police Department is incapable of compiling the information reported to the FBI.

It is doubtful that Mayor Keller intentionally wanted to mislead the public. No doubt Keller did not question the numbers because he was so anxious and had the desire to show reduced crime rates so he could take credit for progress in reducing crime when he runs for reelection in 2021. Keller went forward with the quarterly press conferences proclaiming he was interested in transparency. Mayor Tim Keller had the correct data at the end of September, but Keller did not hold one of his famous crime statistics press conference for the third quarter while APD provided the corrected statistics to the Albuquerque City Council without any fanfare. It’s called at the very worst being deceptive and at the very least being sneaky.

The “statistics reporting fiasco” is a lot more serious than what Mayor Keller wants to let on or care to admit. The City relies heavily on Federal Law enforcement grants, often in the millions of dollars, to conduct operations, tactical plans such as DWI, and fund programs. Often, federal funding is based upon the statistics that the city provides to the FBI. It is more than just possible but highly likely the feds will withdraw funding or demand refunds of funding if the city is found to have submitted bogus crime statistics in applications for grant funding.

Keller needs to take action to hold someone accountable for the major misstep, but it is likely he will not, given his penchant for positive public relations and adversity to any kind of confrontation or “bad press”.

Notwithstanding, Mayor Tim Keller’s reputation for honesty and integrity has taken a serious hit that will take time for him to recover from, if in fact he ever does.

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POSTSCRIPT

The corrected statistics as reported by the Journal are:

Auto burglaries decreased 16%, not the 38% as previously announced by Mayor Keller
Auto theft decreased 22%, not the 39% Keller reported
Commercial burglary decreased 3%, not the 27% Keller reported
Residential burglary decreased 16%, not 39% as Keller reported
Homicide decreased 2.5%, not 18%, but homicides have since increased substantially and the city has broken the all time record and is at 76 as of December 17.
Rape decreased 3%, not the 29% Keller reported
Robbery decreased 30%, not the 47% reported by Keller
Aggravated assault decreased 7.5%, not the 33% reported by Keller
Aggravated assault increased 21%, rather than decreasing 8% as announced during Keller’s July news conference
Rape increased by 3%, rather than decreasing 3% as announced by Keller
Auto theft decreased 14%, not the 31% reported by Keller
Robbery decreased 32% and Keller reported it decreasing by 36%

Dan Klein is a retired Albuquerque Police Sergeant after 20 years of public service. He has been a small business owner in the private sector now for 15 years. Mr. Klein has been a reporter for both on line news outlets the ALB Free Press and ABQ Reports.

On Sunday, December 15, the Albuquerque Journal published the following guest column written by Dan Klein:

Who’s there for Gisell?

BY DAN KLEIN / RETIRED APD SERGEANT
Sunday, December 15th, 2019

Albuquerque can add 17-year-old Gisell Estrada to a long list of innocent people falsely accused and jailed by inept police work at APD.

Next time it could be you or your child.”

The link to Dan Klein’s Albuquerque Journal guest column is as follows:

https://www.abqjournal.com/1401427/whos-there-for-gisell-ex-mayor-da-judge-need-to-come-clean-on-false-arrest.html

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

Mayor Tim Keller (42) and Bernalillo County District Attorney Raul Torrez (43 ) have so much in common, including seeking second terms, they should be referred to as the “BURQUE DOS AMIGOS”. The “Dos Amigos” even like to “tag team” the New Mexico Supreme Court and to take credit for reducing crime.

MAYOR TIM KELLER

Candidate Tim Keller campaigned to be elected mayor on the platform of implementing the U.S. Department of Justice-mandated reforms, increasing the size of the Albuquerque Police Department, returning to community-based policing and promising to bring down skyrocketing crime rates. Mayor Tim Keller has taken photo ops to an all new level by attending protest rallies to speak at, attending marches, attending heavy metal concerts to introduce the band, running in track meets and participating in exhibition football games as the quarterback and enjoying reliving his high school glory days, and posting pictures and videos on his FACEBOOK page.

For two years, every 3 months, Keller tried to take credit for crime rates being on the decline. It turns out the numbers he released were seriously defective. Both the 2019 mid-year statistics and the statistics released at the end of 2018 by Keller had to be revised dramatically to include hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of more incidents than were initially reported. Keller blamed it on antiquated software. Keller now wants $30 million from the New Mexico legislature to “modernize” police records and data department. The request is made 18 months after Keller signed into law a gross receipts tax increase enacted by the City Council that raised taxes by $55 million a year, breaking his promise not to raise taxes without a public vote. The city has recorded 74 homicides in one year, an all-time record and violent crimes are up.

Mayor Keller has announced 4 separate programs within 9 months to combat our city’s violent crime and murder rates. Keller is looking desperate to portray himself as being proactive. Keller also looks foolish when he holds press conference, after press conference, after press conference within days of each other to announce new programs that are nothing more than rebranding or renaming of existing programs.

DISRICT ATTORNEY RAUL TORREZ

In 2016, Raul Torrez campaigned for District Attorney on a platform of reducing crime arguing that crime rates were too high, our criminal justice system was broken and that he was the guy to fix it. District Attorney Raul Torrez, like Mayor Tim Keller, has also taken public relations to an all-time high with repeated press conferences and with front-page coverage by the Albuquerque Journal.

Torrez during his first year in office blamed judges for our high crime rates because of reduced sentences given to violent criminals and dismissal of cases. It was then revealed that his office voluntarily dismissed cases at much higher rates than the courts. Torrez accused the District Court and the Supreme Court’s case management order (CMO) for being the root cause for the dramatic increase in crime and the dismissal of cases.

The Bernalillo County District Attorney’s office under Raul Torrez’ was seriously discredited by a District Court report to the New Mexico Supreme Court reviewing all dismissals and it showed it was the DA’s office that was dismissing the overwhelming majority of cases on its own. In May, 2019, it was revealed that the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office under Raul Torrez has a 65% combined dismissal, acquittal and mistrial rate with cases charge by grand juries. The data presented showed in part how overcharging and a failure to screen cases by the District Attorney’s Office is contributing to the high mistrial and acquittal rates.

The most nefarious conduct to attack the court’s and our criminal justice system is when Torrez promoted a Constitutional Amendment to shift the burden of proof by the prosecution of dangerousness of a defendant to a presumption of dangerousness based on an “alleged” yet to be proven crime. What Torrez wants is a system of “presumption of dangerousness” where a defendant is charged with a violent felony and the person charge be held in custody pending trial. Time and time again, defendants are held in jail for months, at times years, because they are unable to make bond, only to have the charges dismissed.

In 2017, Torrez was able to secure millions more from the legislature to hire more prosecutors and he now has a $21.5 million dollar budget. Torrez has failed to fill over 50 vacant positions within his office, including vacant “at will” attorney, assistant trial attorney, senior trial attorney and trial attorney positions and Secretarial and Legal Secretary positions.

Like Mayor Keller, Raul Torrez has attempted to repeatedly take credit for declining crime rates before business groups, yet since the APD statistics fiasco, Torrez is nowhere to be found to retract his previous claims of reduced crime.

TAG TEAMING THE NEW MEXICO SUPREME COURT

On May 10, 2019, “Burque’s Dos Amigos” Mayor Tim Keller and DA Raul Torrez wrote a joint letter to the New Mexico Supreme Court requesting it to intervene and stop the plans of 2nd Judicial District Court (SJDC) to shift away from the use of grand jury system to a preliminary hearing system. The shift to a preliminary system from a grand jury system had been going on for 3 years. The joint letter included the following claims:

“We write to you with an urgent request that the New Mexico Supreme Court take immediate action to prevent further elimination of existing grand jury panels in the Second Judicial [District Court].
…
“Together, we have worked to achieve the longest sustained drop in crime in this community in more than a decade, but we are very concerned that these hard fought gains will be reversed if the [District Court] continues to make unilateral decisions which further stress the resources constraints of our respective institutions and causes a potential threat to public safety that may result from the change to our criminal justice system.”

On May 31, 2019, Chief Justice Judith Nakamura politely responded to the Torrez-Keller letter declining to intervene with the District court urging District Attorney Torrez to work with the Bernalillo County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (BCCJCC) to resolve his concerns about ongoing cuts to the grand jury system.

CONCLUSION

As the shootings, assaults and murders continue to rise, Bernalillo County District Attorney Raul Torrez and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller are increasingly focused on the gun violence and the city’s murder rates. Time is running out for both of them despite their efforts and their public relations campaigns and press conferences. Both DA Torrez and Mayor Keller have initiated programs in an effort to bring down violent crime rates and gun violence and simply put, the programs are not working. What is becoming increasingly concerning for the City residents is that all the increases in APD budget and personnel and increases and new programs at the DA’s Office are not having any effect on be bringing down the violent crime and murder rates.

Voters are very fickle and unforgiving when politicians make promises they do not or cannot keep. The Bernalillo County District Attorney’ s Office is now Torrez’s full responsibility and he cannot blame his predecessor for continuing increases in our crime rates and bungled prosecutions. APD is now fully in the hands of Mayor Tim Keller and his appointed command staff, and he cannot blame his predecessor for continuing increases in our crime rates.

No doubt DA Raul Torrez and Mayor Tim Keller have high hopes that their efforts will bring down gun violent crime and the murder rates as they seek second terms. But “high hopes” do not get one elected to a second term. The only thing that will likely get them both elected to second terms is if they buckle down, work more on doing their jobs of law enforcement, arrests and prosecutions and less on public relations, press conferences and nuance programs that are not working.

When it’s all said and done, both District Attorney Raul Torrez and Mayor Tim Keller may wake up the day after their next election bids to read headlines that they have lost their election for a second term.

Links to related blog articles:

ABQReport “While Albuquerque bleeds, Mayor Keller smiles”

Mayor Keller “Cooking The Books” With “All That Stuff”; Keller and APD Chief Geier Looking Desperate With 4th Program In 9 Months; Time For Another Reorganization And A Few Terminations

District Court Exposes DA Torrez 65% Dismissal, Mistrial And Acquittal Rates; Mayor Keller Tries To “Bail Out” DA Torrez From Preliminary Hearings

DA Torrez: “WHAAAA, I Do Not Want To Play Anymore, I’m Taking My Ball And Going Home!”; DA Torrez Playing With Fire Taking On The Courts

United States Representative Xochitl Torres Small announced on December 15 that she believes “impeachment is the necessary response” and will be voting to impeach President Donald Trump. Torres Small issued the following statement:

“We cannot allow any President of either party to abuse the power of the highest office, jeopardizing our country’s national security in the process, to pressure foreign leaders to conduct investigations against political rivals. … We also cannot allow any President to obstruct Congress’ power to investigate impeachable offenses by prohibiting White House and other administration officials from testifying or providing evidence. I must act to protect our national security, our Constitution, and the integrity of our elections.”

https://www.abqjournal.com/1401490/rep-torres-small-will-support-impeachment.html?fbclid=IwAR3RTVBQut3snBpNYg2Neeb_NGArkYCjFMU3kR2U8JSdSoGmnGrf6F5Jf_s

COMMENTARY

United State Representative Torrez Small just may be a one term member of Congress because of her decision to vote for Impeachment of President Trump.

If she is, at least she will be able to live with herself and sleep at night the rest of her life knowing full well that Trump needs to be removed, has disgraced the office of President and is the most immoral President we have ever had, and who is not fit to be President.

Trump has betrayed his own country to promote his own personal interests and his family’s financial interests.

If Xochitl Torres Small constituents do not understand or admit Trump is immoral, has disgraced the office and not fit to be President, then why the hell would anyone want to represent them in the first place.

Country over personal interest and political survival is the hallmark of political courage.

On November 5, voters approved general obligation bonds of $14 million for a city operated 24-7 homeless shelter that will house upwards of 300.

According to a December 15 Albuquerque Journal Article, the City has revealed 5 potential locations for the centralized emergency shelter for the homeless:

The old Lovelace hospital on Gibson
University of New Mexico property near Lomas and Interstate 25,
Montessa Park south of the Sunport, and
An area near Second and Interstate 40
Continue to use the old West Side Jail 20 miles outside the city limits and build new facilities at that location.

City officials stress that nothing is set in stone and ask the public to provide their own suggestions for where the shelter should be locate.

https://www.abqjournal.com/1401412/sites-for-new-homeless-shelter-discussed.html

24 HOUR, 7 DAY A WEEK HOMELESS SHELTER PROPOSAL

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller has deemed that a 24-hour, 7 day a week facility to temporarily shelter the homeless within the city as critical toward reducing the number of homeless in the city. The city owned shelter would assist an estimated 300 homeless residents and connect them to other services intended to help secure permanent housing. The new facility would serve all populations, men, women, and families, and offer what Keller calls a “clearing house” function.

The city facility would have on-site case managers that would guide residents toward addiction treatment, housing vouchers and other available resources. According city officials, the new homeless shelter would replace the existing West Side Emergency Housing Center, the former jail on the far West Side. The former jail is so remote that the city must bus homeless to the facility and back at a cost of $1 million annually.

According to Mayor Tim Keller, the new homeless shelter will provide first responders an alternative destination for the people they encounter on so-called “down-and-out” calls. Many “down and outs” today wind up in the emergency room even when they are not seriously injured or ill. According to city officials, only 110 of the 6,952 “down and out” people were taken by first responders to the Emergency Room in a recent one-year period had life-threatening conditions.

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

The single most controversial bonds on the November 5 ballot were the $14 million designated for a centralized, 24-hour, 7 day a week homeless shelter. It is controversial not because it’s needed but because established businesses, neighborhoods and many charitable homeless providers object to the location or the need for a centralized facility somewhere within the city. Opposition arguments range from negative impacts on well-settled business areas, residential areas, increases in crime, reducing neighborhood safety to cost justification. It’s the classic case of “not in my back yard” (NIMBY).

The city did not identify a location for the shelter until after voters approved the funding , no doubt for fear that the bonds may fail. It is very disappointing, but typical, that the city was not upfront on the locations being considered so that a more informed decision could have been made by the voting public. Notwithstanding locations have now been identified.

Albuquerque has between 1,500 and 2,000 chronic homeless, with approximately 80% suffering from mental illness. The city does provide extensive services to the homeless that include social services, mental or behavioral health care services, substance abuse treatment and prevention, winter shelter housing, rent assistance and affordable housing development, just to mention a few. But more needs to be done by the city to reduce the ever-increasing numbers.

The only way the city is going to be able to reduce the number of homeless in the city is to reach a viable consensus and implement an aggressive plan on how to reduce the number of homeless. This will mandate the city to work with virtually all the charitable providers, “pooling of resources” and work to get input from the public as to final location.

Let the debate now begin on location with a decision based on consensus.

Compromise, Consensus And Concessions Needed For City Homeless Shelter; Vote YES On Bond Question 2

On December 13, the Albuquerque Journal published my guest column on APD. Below is the column with the link and a postscript added at the end.

It’s past time to reorganize APD – once again

BY PETE DINELLI / FORMER PROSECUTOR, ALBUQUERQUE CITY COUNCILOR AND CHIEF PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER

Friday, December 13th, 2019 at 12:02am

Candidate Tim Keller campaigned to be elected mayor on the platform of implementing the U.S. Department of Justice-mandated reforms, increasing the size of the Albuquerque Police Department, returning to community-based policing and promising to bring down skyrocketing crime rates. For two years, Keller has tried to take credit for crime rates being on the decline. It turns out the numbers were inflated, with Keller blaming it on antiquated software. The city has recorded 74 homicides in one year, an all-time record.

Sooner rather than later, citizens demand and want results. No amount of data collection, public relations or nuance programs are going to satisfy those demands or make people feel safe. The problem with Keller is his inability or reluctance to hold his appointees accountable for failures, ostensibly out of a sense of extreme loyalty. The Keller-Geier situation is identical to the Mayor Richard Berry and Chief Gorden Eden relationship. Keller and Geier just may leave City Hall under similar public disdain as Berry and Eden did two years ago.

https://www.abqjournal.com/1400771/its-past-time-to-reorganize-apd-ndash-once-again-ex-city-throwing-money-at-the-problem-has-not-made-albuquerque-any-safer.html
_______________________________________

POSTSCRIPT

The City Council has approved Keller’s plan is to spend $88 million dollars over a four-year period on APD, with $32 million dollars of recurring expenditures, to hire 322 sworn officers and expand APD from 878 sworn police officers to 1,200 officers. Since Keller took office, APD has added 116 sworn police officers and the department now has 970 sworn police officers.

ABQReport “While Albuquerque bleeds, Mayor Keller smiles”

On December 9, 2019, the city recorded its 74th homicide, the all time record of homicides in one year in the city’s history. The previous record was in 2017 with 72 murders. Before 2017, the last time the City had the highest number of homicides in one year was in 1996 with 70 murders that year.

On December 9, Channel 4 devoted at least one third of its evening 10:00 PM news cast to the story with the news angle of demanding answers from our elected officials and zeroing in on Mayor Tim Keller. The beginning of the story and comments by the news anchors were as hard hitting as it gets and can only be described as a full throttled take down of Mayor Keller on how he avoided to be interviewed all day with the news anchors questioning his failed and lack of leadership.

Mayor Keller’s full 2 minute interview was telecast without any interruptions and needless to say it was obvious he was out of his comfort zone and his trade mark smile was gone. You can view the entire newscast story at this link.

https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news/keller-speaks-on-record-setting-homicide/5574753/?cat=500

ABQREPORTS COLUMN

ABQReports is an on line Albquerque news column publshed by DENNIS DOMRZALSKI. Mr. DOMRZALSKI has been a reporter for 35+ plus years and worked for the Albquerque Tribune for a number of years reporting on city hall, the courts and crime scene. He later worked for the on line publication ABQ News and 4 years ago he began ABQReports:

The following column was published on December 12, 2019 and written by its editor DENNIS DOMRZALSKI. (The link to the article is at the end.)

“Tim, get busy and be the mayor that we need. Please.”

So the sickening status quo will continue. While Albuquerque bleeds, Mayor Tim Keller smiles.”

https://www.abqreport.com/single-post/2019/12/12/While-Albuquerque-bleeds-Mayor-Keller-smiles