The week  here has been spent mainly on the ABQ crime beat, and we have more . . .

One suggestion for crime-fighting is to bring back the state police to help APD patrol the streets as was done temporarily earlier this year by order of Governor MLG. But this suggestion comes with a twist: have the Governor and Legislature use the record surpluses to beef up the permanent state police presence in the ABQ metro area. The thinking being that the addition of a couple of dozen officers would give APD breathing room for several years as it tries to staff up.

Any takers for this among the BernCo state legislative delegation?

STATS BACKLASH

The erroneous numbers that inflated the success ABQ is making in the fight against crime sparked an uproar this week and our expert readers continue to come with insight and analysis.

Government watchdog Charles Arasim contributes his thoughts on the Monday night city council meeting where the stats snafu was discussed:

At the nine minute mark in this video, you will hear APD Deputy Chief Armijo say that in 2018 APD switched from the UCR (Uniform Crime Reporting) system to NIBRS (National Incident Based Reporting System). She goes on to say at some point, those numbers went into a black hole. You can read about the FBI mandating police departments across the nation make the switch from UCR to NIBRS by Jan 1, 2021, here.

Saying that, I’m bewildered how it can be that APD’s IT staff, Records Staff, Chief Armijo, Chief Geier and, his boss, Chief Administrative Officer Sarita Nair all missed the boat on successfully integrating/implementing the NIBRS software package. It simply makes no sense.

COUNCIL RUN-OFF ACTION

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It looks though we could have a close run-off race next Tuesday when the votes are counted in ABQ City Council district 4 in the NE Heights. Both sides are firing ammo in the final days.

The latest comes from Republican Brook Bassan who mailed a flyer accusing Romero of being a "political opportunist," who recently moved into the council district. That flyer is posted here. Dem Ane Romero's campaign came with this response:

Brook Bassan has sent a desperate, last minute mailer, lying about my background saying I've rented an apartment and moved into District 4 just to run for office. It's a flat-out lie. My husband and I are homeowners and moved to the Northeast Heights after we got married in 2015. . . I serve on the Northeast Community Policing Council and my husband is a board member on our Homeowners Association. I have voted in every city election since we bought our home in January, 2016 in District 4. Brook shouldn’t throw stones. She moved into the District just a few years before me, chose not to take the most basic step in our democracy and didn’t vote in most city elections, and then deceived Heights voters by changing her party affiliation six times. . .

Bassan says she switched political parties six times so she could vote in certain Dem and GOP primary elections.

The early District 4 vote trend, according to consultants, has tilted toward the R's but the Dems hope to catch up in the final days of early voting which ends Saturday and in Election Day voting which is Tuesday, Dec. 10.

In District 2 in the Downtown/North Valley area, Zack Quintero has been firing crime salvos at Dem City Councilor Ike Benton, saying that Benton voted to cut 100 police officers from APS, so no wonder we have a crime problem. Benton put out a mailer to refute that powerful charge, saying:

In 2015, ABQ was coming out of a recession and gross receipts tax revenue was flat. A unanimous city council vote redirected funds in Mayor Berry’s APD budget for 100 vacant positions (not projected to be filled that year) to 5% raises for officers and to comply with the DOJ settlement. As a result in 2015, police department funding increased $8 million from the previous years. To say we cut 100 APD jobs is an intentional misrepresentation.

Benton won the initial November election by 21 points over Quintero but his 28 year old rival has been pushing hard in the close and winning endorsements from other first round candidates like  Robert Nelson. Former candidate Joseph Griego has endorsed Benton.

AND SO IT BEGINS:

Five days into the start of service, one Albuquerque Rapid Transit (ART) system bus is off the street after colliding with a vehicle on West Central Wednesday afternoon. . . The driver of a pickup truck made an illegal left turn and crashed into the bus as it headed east on Central, near 52nd. The truck driver was taken to a hospital to get “checked out” but there were no other injuries reported. . . 

Thanks for tuning in. We welcome your news, comments, criticisms and thoughts on your own personal existential angst.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2019