Albuquerque cops get $300 to $500 for each person they shoot???Albuquerque cops get a "bounty" for each person they shoot???Officers Get Union Checks After Shootings By Jeff Proctor / Journal Staff Writer on Fri, Mar 23, 2012 Twenty Albuquerque police officers involved in shootings in 2010 and 2011 received payments from the police union of either $300 or $500, the Journal has learned. A written statement from Albuquerque Police Officers Association President Joey Sigala and Vice President Felipe Garcia said the payments are to cover some expenses for officers who have been involved in “critical incidents” and their families “to find a place to have some privacy and time to decompress outside the Albuquerque area.” “We do not determine where they go or for how long, we simply give them some means of obtaining this critical time to gather their thoughts and emotions after a stressful incident,” the statement said. Top city officials said they had been unaware of the practice and didn’t want to comment until they talked to union officials; the father of one man shot by a police officer blasted the practice as “bounty.” The APOA statement – issued in response to an inquiry from the Journal based on a document showing the payments in 2010 and 2011 – said officers typically received the payments within the first couple of days after the shootings. A photo and Albuquerque Police Department information about Gary E. Atencio was on a screen during a news conference Thursday identifying Atencio as the man who was shot by police after a high-speed chase. Sigala and Garcia declined to be interviewed, and their statement did not say whether union officials offer the payments or whether officers have to ask for them. Sigala did not respond to a question asking whether officers involved in three shootings this year had, or would, receive the payments. The statement seemed to indicate the practice has gone on “for years,” but did not say whether it is an official APOA policy or exactly how long it has been done. Police Chief Ray Schultz said he was unaware of the practice. In fact, Schultz said through a spokesman he was not aware of such a practice when he was a member of the union, and he did not receive any money from the APOA after he was involved in a shooting after an armed robbery in 1986. Schultz declined through a spokesman to comment on the practice, saying he wanted to speak with Sigala first. The city provides counselling for officers involved in shootings and other critical incidents. Albuquerque Chief Administrative Officer Rob Perry said the union is entitled to do as it wishes with its money and declined further comment until he learned more about the payments. Family members of the 20 men shot by APD officers in 2010 and 2011 blasted the payouts, calling them an apparent “bounty.” “It’s unbelievable to find this out,” said Mike Gomez, whose son, Alan, was fatally shot by APD officer Sean Wallace last year. “This just sounds like a reward system, a bounty. If it’s in these cops’ minds that they’re going to get rewarded if they shoot someone, even if they don’t kill them, that’s just not good.” Wallace was among those who received $500 in 2011. He also received $500 after a non-fatal shooting in 2010. The statement from Sigala and Garcia said the payments are intended as support for officers. “We also believe that any claim or assertion that these were somehow cash payments for the officer merely ‘shooting someone’ are absolutely ridiculous and false,” the statement says. “We hold onto the honor and dignity of our profession and would never engage in such callous and hurtful behavior.” In all, 23 APD officers shot people during 20 incidents last year and the year before. Fifteen of those shootings were fatal. Internal union financial documents obtained by the Journal show 20 of the officers received union payments. Of those, 16 received $500, two were paid $300, one received $800 and a payment of $1,000 went to one officer. Also, $500 in union funds went to an officer who did not fire any shots but was involved in an incident that ended when another officer fatally shot a man. The documents show more than $10,000 went to officers involved in shootings. The statement from Sigala and Garcia said the union only makes “partial payments of up to $500 to help cover the costs” of out-of-town stays. “In many cases, it has been less,” the statement says. “There were no disbursements over $500, and any costs … which are over $500 are for other union-related matters.” The 20 officer-involved shootings in 2010 and 2011 have drawn an angry response, with critics flooding City Council meetings, holding protests and demanding Schultz’s resignation and more accountability from APD. Critics have pointed out that the majority of those shot were Hispanic men in their 20s and 30s. All the shootings that have worked through the review process have been ruled justified through APD’s internal affairs process and by grand jury review after presentation by the District Attorney’s Office. The U.S. Department of Justice is considering whether to conduct a full-scale investigation to determine whether APD has a pattern or practice of violating civil rights. Financial review The documents obtained by the Journal were prepared by union Treasurer Matt Fisher earlier this month after members demanded to see a breakdown of how APOA money was being spent. The demands came after Fred Mowrer, the union’s lawyer, sent an email to board members saying $259,000 had been spent on salaries and “union work” during the past two years – at a time when the APOA was supposed to be pinching pennies in anticipation of a court battle against the Berry administration over police contracts. The union sued Mayor Richard Berry in 2010, contending he illegally backed out of an agreement signed by the previous administration to raise APD pay. The city won the first round, but the union appealed to the state Court of Appeals, which hasn’t yet ruled. APOA members voted last week to hire an outside firm to audit the union’s finances for the past two years and to require more financial accountability going forward. Members will also consider next month whether the president’s and vice president’s union salaries should be cut. The moves followed revelations at a March 15 APOA meeting from Sigala that he and Vice President Felipe Garcia have paid themselves more in salary from union dues than they previously acknowledged publicly, and that Sigala’s wife was paid about $6,000 for working on “special projects” and filling in as a temporary administrative secretary. — This article appeared on page A1 of the Albuquerque Journal Berry: Shooting Payouts Must End By Jeff Proctor / Journal Staff Writer on Sat, Mar 24, 2012 A defiant police union President Joey Sigala said late Friday that the union will continue to financially support officers who have been involved in shootings, despite calls earlier in the day from the mayor and police chief for the practice to stop. Mayor Richard Berry said in a statement that he was “shocked” to learn of the practice and said it “needs to end now,” while Police Chief Ray Schultz called the payments “troubling.” A Journal story published Friday revealed that the union had paid more than $10,000 to officers involved in shootings, dating to the start of 2010. In all, 23 APD officers shot people during 20 incidents last year and the year before. Fifteen of those shootings were fatal. Internal union financial documents obtained by the Journal show that 20 of the officers received union payments. Of those, 16 received $500, two were paid $300, one received $800 and a payment of $1,000 went to one officer. The documents did not indicate whether officers involved in three shootings this year also received checks, but APOA leaders on Thursday explained and defended the practice. Outside an emergency meeting of the union board at Albuquerque Police Officers Association headquarters Downtown, Sigala said the union has made cash payments and supported in other ways officers involved in shootings and other “critical incidents” for more than 20 years. Sigala said he did not know whether the payments were made in nearly every shooting case — as they have been during his tenure as president — under previous union administrations. But he said the practice has been well-known among rank-and-file police officers, as well as the department’s “upper administration.” On Thursday, Schultz said he was not aware of the practice, adding that it was not in place when he was a member of the union and that he did not receive any money from the APOA when he was involved in a shooting after an armed robbery in 1986. On Friday, he issued a statement through a spokeswoman. “What we have learned about this practice thus far is troubling,” the statement said. “We support our officers when they are placed in these critical incidents. However, we recognize the union is further putting these officers in an untenable situation that we don’t agree with.” Asked Friday whether Schultz specifically knew about the payments, Sigala said: “The chief has been the chief for a long time.” Sigala said he and union Vice President Felipe Garcia have been making decisions on whether officers involved in shootings should get financial support. Going forward, he said, the entire 20-member union board will decide on a case-by-case basis which officers will get money. The payments are limited to $500, Sigala said, adding that larger amounts shown in the documents mean officers also have done other union work. Berry criticized the payments. “I cannot stand aside and condone this practice — it needs to end now,” the mayor said in a prepared statement. “We all support our fine officers, but I have directed Chief Schultz to work with the union to ensure this practice no longer continues.” The mayor declined through a spokeswoman to elaborate. Sigala said Berry has “no idea what it’s like” to be a police officer faced with a decision about using deadly force and should not have condemned the payments out of hand — especially without speaking with union leaders. Sigala and Garcia said in a statement Thursday that the payments were to cover some expenses for officers who have been involved in “critical incidents” and their families “to find a place to have some privacy and time to decompress outside the Albuquerque area.” The father of one of the men fatally shot by an APD officer in the past few years described the payments as “bounty.” The city provides counseling for officers involved in shootings and other critical incidents, and all officers are placed on leave with pay after a shooting. City leaders “understand that supporting officers is important,” Sigala said. “So do we.” Money questions The documents obtained by the Journal were prepared by union Treasurer Matt Fisher earlier this month after members demanded to see a breakdown of how APOA money was being spent. The demands came after Fred Mowrer, the union’s lawyer, sent an email to board members saying $259,000 had been spent on salaries and “union work” during the past two years — at a time when the APOA was supposed to be marshaling its resources in anticipation of a court battle against the Berry administration over police contracts. The union sued Berry in 2010, contending he illegally backed out of an agreement signed by the previous administration to raise APD pay. The city won the first round, but the union appealed to the state Court of Appeals, which hasn’t yet ruled. APOA members voted last week to hire an outside firm to audit the union’s finances for the past two years and to require more financial accountability. Members will also consider next month whether the president’s and vice president’s union salaries should be cut. The moves followed revelations from Sigala at a March 15 APOA meeting that he and Garcia have paid themselves more in salary from union dues than they previously acknowledged publicly, and that Sigala’s wife was paid about $6,000 for working on special projects and filling in as a temporary secretary. One union member confirmed that Sigala and Garcia said during the meeting that they had paid themselves about $36,000 and $28,000, respectively, in salaries funded by dues last year. Sigala last month told the Journal he receives about $26,000 annually for union work — on top of his $52,374 APD salary — and Garcia makes $19,500 a year plus his city salary, which is the same as Sigala’s. — This article appeared on page A1 of the Albuquerque Journal BREAKING: Mayor, APD Chief Call For Halt To Shooter Payouts By Jeff Proctor / Journal Staff Writer on Fri, Mar 23, 2012 Mayor Richard Berry and APD Chief Ray Schultz have issued statements calling for a halt to the police union’s practice of issuing $500 checks to officers involved in shootings. Here’s the mayor’s statement: “The administration has nothing to do with how the union conducts their business, but I was shocked yesterday when made aware of this practice. I cannot stand aside and condone this practice– it needs to end now. We all support our fine officers, but I have directed Chief Shultz to work with the union to ensure this practice no longer continues.” “What we have learned about this practice thus far is troubling. We support our officers when they are placed in these critical incidents. However, we recognize the union is further putting these officers in an untenable situation that we don’t agree with. After discussions with Chief Schultz this morning, the union has agreed to hold an emergency board meeting to discuss suspending the practice.” The statements are in response to this morning’s Journal story, which you can read here. Pick up a copy of tomorrow’s paper for continuing coverage. New Mexico police in shootings get cash Mar. 23, 2012 10:46 PM Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE - Albuquerque police officers involved in a rash of fatal shootings over the past two years were paid up to $500 under a union program that some have likened to a bounty system in a department with a culture that critics have long contended promotes brutality. Mayor Richard Berry called Friday for an immediate halt to the practice, which was first reported in the Albuquerque Journal during a week in which Albuquerque police shot and killed two men. Since 2010, Albuquerque police have shot 23 people, 18 fatally. "The administration has nothing to do with how the union conducts their business," Berry said in a statement, "but I was shocked yesterday when made aware of this practice. I cannot stand aside and condone this practice. It needs to end now." Although the union said the payments were intended to help the officers decompress from a stressful situation, one victim's father and a criminologist said it sounded more like a reward program. "I think it might not be a bounty that they want it for," said Mike Gomez, the father of an unarmed man killed by police last year, "but in these police guys' minds, they know they are going to get that money. So when they get in a situation, it's who's going to get him first? Who's going to shoot him first?" Maria Haberfeld, chair of the Department of Law & Police Science at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said she found the program disturbing. "I'm not a psychologist. I'm a criminologist. But if you give somebody a monetary incentive to do their job, usually people are tempted by the monetary incentive," she said. Other law-enforcement officials called speculation of a bounty system ridiculous. "Frankly, it's insulting and very insensitive that somebody would believe that a police officer would factor in a payment for such a difficult decision," said Joe Clure, president of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association. |