Journal editors ambivalent about role modeling.

In the Journal this morning, the editors link, laid laud on APD Chief Ray Schultz. Justly, they point out that Schultz wasn't just another clown on a scooter in the State Fair Parade; he was on patrol when his number was called to protect and serve. He risked life and limb on our behalf; I for one, am grateful.

And I agree with the editors;

... it is heartening to get a concrete example from the top what real community policing involves.

In some respects he is a good role model.
In others, not so much.

The Department of Justice is deciding whether they will conduct a full scale investigation of allegations of civil rights violations by the APD. Among Schultz' arguments that there needs to be no investigation, is representation that interactions with the public are all recorded on lapel cams. It turns out they aren't.

No one recorded any part of the Chief's bust; not even the Chief.

Apparently, the only recordings come from citizens' cameras.

Ok, Schultz is a good role model for the arrest, but not so much for following the rules he expects his subordinates to follow.

The editors think Schultz' leadership is "good" overall.
They think his example is a "good" one.

They also think the School Board and senior administration of the APS, are "good role models".

This despite the fact, the editors know, or remain willfully ignorant of, credible allegations and evidence of their role modeling failure; the ethics and accountability scandal in the leadership of the APS;

• there are two sets of standards of conduct in the APS. "The law" applies to adults, while they fully expect students to "model and promote" the Pillars of Character Counts!; a nationally recognized, accepted and respected code of ethical conduct; higher standards of conduct. and
• School Board Members and senior administrators are hiding the findings of a number of investigations of corruption and incompetence in the leadership of the APS. Most noteworthy among them, the Caswell Report; evidence and testimony of felony criminal misconduct by APS senior administrators,and
• the only agency of law enforcement who has ever investigated credible allegations and evidence of felony criminal misconduct, was the APS Police force itself. The record of which is still secret from public knowledge.
• that same Police force, their Praetorian Guard, their publicly funded private police force is enforcing an unlawful restraining order to stifle the free exercise of Constitutionally protected human rights to speak freely and petition one's government, and
• School Board Members are denying due process to hundreds of whistleblower complaints against administrators and board members.

The editors were pleased that the "... city had a chance to see its police chief lead by example."

The editors are equally albeit tacitly pleased that the city has a chance to view the leadership of the APS, lead by their example.

APS Supt Winston Brooks ordering the arrest of poster holders, and
School Board enforcer Marty Esquivel creating an utterly unlawful "banning letter" and ordering his praetorian Chief of Police Steve Tellez and the APS Police force to enforce it, and
School Board President and New Mexico Broadcasters Association Affiliates liaison Paula Maes keeping it all under wraps.





photos Mark Bralley