Albuquerque Public Schools Police Department

The APS Safety Commission is about to recommend that students in the APS be protected by a professional, full fledged police force.

That police force will be paid for by taxpayers. If there is not enough money to protect students and staff at schools; then taxes need to be raised. It makes no apparent difference if the tax dollars flow through APS, APD, or the BCSD; although there is a certain amount of logic in separating the responsibility for protecting students, from the responsibility for educating them.

There is one huge problem with the leadership of the APS admininstrating it's own police force. That is that, the "experts" brought in to study the problems with the APS PD, said in no uncertain terms that, the leadership of the APS is not capable of managing a professional police force.

Beth Everitt herself, explained that the reason the APS PD got so far out of control, was that neither she nor Tom Savage had any idea how to manage a police force.

In order for the leadership of the APS to expect to be given the responsibility of managing a police force; there must be some proof that the same mistakes will not be made again.

Instead, there is proof that the leadership of the APS will not even admit the mistakes that they made. The results of the investigation of the public corruption and criminal misconduct in the leadership of the APS PD; are still being kept secret by Beth Everitt; even in violation of the law.

She refuses to justify the denial of requests for public records; except by citing "confidentiality for personnel protection". There is no such thing. She will provide no evidence, cite no statute nor legal opinion that justifies her refusal to release the public records of the investigation of the APS PD.

Apparently the results of the investigation are being withheld from the District Attorney. Kari Brandenburg refuses to admit whether or not Everitt has forwarded evidence of criminal misconduct by the leadership of the APS; to the District Attorney's Office for prosecution.

She is yet to justify paying Gil Lovato almost $40,000 dollars for doing nothing; instead of bringing charges against him. It is obvious that public resources were spent to keep the truth from being revealed in a formal proceeding.

How can one take Beth Everitt's word that she will not make the same mistakes again, when she refuses to admit the mistakes she made already?

Would George Washington's father have believed George's promise that he would never cut down another cherry tree; if George Washington had refused to tell the truth about the tree he had already chopped down?