All must have noticed the tough guy political TV ads shown on KOB-TV 4 and elsewhere with “Sherriff” (on his shirt) Darren and his posse recently endorsing Susana Martinez. Yet Darren just couldn’t find any time since mid-June to identify just who told KOAT TV 7’s Ilana Gold that my neighbor, a good single parent and community volunteer Chris Hinz had a “criminal history”-thus deserved to be executed on June 10 by those in APD under him.
Does a seat belt and a speeding violation constitute a “criminal history” or is there more? That defamatory portrayal of Chris called “sickening and despicable” by brother Eric Hinz to the City Council on June 21 was then repeated by news anchor Shelly Ribando to hundreds of thousands of her KOAT viewers right after Ilana’ interview that day with Darren’s Public Information Officer/propagandist/former Journal reporter T.J. Wilham. If this “criminal history” statement that Ilana Gold said came “from the City” was a lie, doesn’t this justify a firing or forced resignation-Mr. Mayor?
Nor did we hear any comments from Darren why in mid-2007 under his watch, two of his BERNCO deputy sheriffs pumped ten bullets into a fleeing Joe Molina who posed no threat to them and then pumped more into him as he lay dead to make it appear to be a struggle for their guns? Bernalillo County will pay dearly in court for that shoot-first mentality that Darren has apparently brought with him to the City Public Safety job under our self-professed “tough on crime” Mayor Berry.
Isn’t it curious that only KOAT-TV 7 and not the “Berry Bugle”(AKA Albuquerque Journal) didn’t deem that “wrongful death” civil suit for the Molina killing filed on July 2 worthy of news coverage? Nor did Darren’s star-struck admirers at KRQE TV 13 see fit to tarnish his tough guy reputation by reporting on this civil suit? The way one of his former BERNCO deputies recently manhandled attorney Ron Bell and cited him for a DWI based solely on a field sobriety test seemed to be more of the same “take no prisoners” White mindset.
The BERNCO Sheriff’s Office was to be embarrassed later when Ron blew a 0 in the conclusive DWI test he willingly took. BERNCO deputies and APD officers know that such field sobriety tests are unreliable indicators of DWI in middle to elderly people like Ron-but it seemed that Bell just had to be publicly ridiculed with help from the Berry Bugle. I guess Ron should feel lucky he wasn’t shot during the stop-given the trigger happy legacy Darren left at the Sheriff’s Office.
If Darren is indeed shopping himself for a future job in the Martinez cabinet should she win, then let his loyal enabler Mayor Berry help him devote full time to that campaign and eliminate this unneeded crony Public Safety Officer job that Mayor Marty dreamed up. While it is legal for anyone to be in campaign ads, didn’t Mayor Berry, who professes to serve all of the people of Albuquerque frown on the political ad done by his ABQRide Director-Bruce Rizzieri for Lawrence Rail during the recent primary? Apparently not. So here comes Darren to do his thing for Susana and portray his office to many as partisan Republican.
Susana Martinez should ask herself whether “Sheriff” Darren shown in the ad and his posse of tough guys really helps or hurts her bid to be our next Governor. I think the latter but you can decide for yourself. The ball is in your court Mayor Berry. Stop looking the other way.
Silvio Dell’Angela
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