UNM mishandles public records, again.

If you read the Journal report, link, on an incident involving the embattled UNM Head Football Coach Michael Locksley, you likely will be no closer to knowing whether or not there was any real misconduct involving Locksley and a local sports reporter.

However, it is crystal clear, from reading the report, that UNM has mishandled public records again.

If the Journal is to be believed, UNM had in its possession a videotape of the incident. As soon as it took possession of the recording, it became a public record.

UNM took the record, showed it selectively to the media, and then supposedly got rid of the record though there were already other legitimate requests made to view it.

One cannot pass public records like a hot potato in order to suppress them.

Well, actually one can.

If one is arrogant enough to believe one is above the law
and beyond consequences for incompetence and corruption,
one can ignore the law. Especially if one has a gaggle of
lawyers underwritten by public support of "education" who
are willing to manipulate the law in every conceivable way
to litigate personal exception to the law for powerful politicians
and public servants.

There is no penalty or consequence for mishandling public records; at least not one that will be paid by anyone but innocent taxpayers.

It is past time to review the NM Inspection of Public Records Act, the Open Meetings Act, and any other open government regulations, and provide in them, serious consequences for public servants who play games with the public's right to know the truth about the spending of their power and resources.