Bernalillo County sheriff vows to cooperate; doesn't trust feds' DWI investigation

Yahoo

13-02-2025

BERNALILLO COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – For the first time, Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen publicly discussed federal investigators naming one of his deputies in a scheme to make DWI cases disappear.
In an interview with KRQE Investigative Reporter Ann Pierret, Allen echoed what other law enforcement officials have said: He's in favor of getting rid of the bad apples within BCSO, and he's upset for victims who have been impacted by drunk driving. But unlike what KRQE's seen with other agencies, the sheriff is waiting to act until he learns more from the feds.
'I don't agree with how the investigation is going. There's too many leaks, too many conversations, too many interviews, and too much stuff coming out,' Allen explained.
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The sheriff said he learned more about the federal investigation into law enforcement members taking bribes through a law firm to get DWI cases dismissed from watching KRQE's interviews with the FBI and U.S. attorney. 'Everyone always talks about relationships and they do it on the feds side. And I take their classes. Um, they might want to take a little taste of their own medicine. Communication is very key,' Allen said.
Allen told KRQE that he found out a BCSO deputy was accused of taking part in the scheme when that deputy called to let the senior staff know the FBI showed up to his house for an interview. After learning about that, Allen then placed deputy Jeff Hammerel on administrative leave.
When the federal investigation became public in 2024, Allen said the feds told him he didn't need to worry about anybody within BCSO at that time. 'For me, I know that there's nothing to worry about right now. It's an investigation. I was not naive to the fact that this could possibly pop up. If it's happening at Albuquerque Police Department, and we all work so closely together, this could affect my agency,' Allen explained.
Now that a BCSO deputy has been implicated in the DWI scheme, Allen said he is cooperating but would've appreciated a heads-up. 'I'll cooperate with you, but I don't have any more trust in you. I'm just going to call it the way it is,' he said.
KRQE's Ann Pierret asked if BCSO is conducting its own investigation like APD said it has done throughout the past year. Allen said at this point in time, he is not conducting internal affairs investigations into Hammerel or any other DWI unit members, past or current.
Allen claimed he actually can't conduct internal affairs investigations when there's a criminal investigation already underway, per the union's policy.
'What's more important to me, other than an internal affairs investigation, is criminal. The internal affairs investigation is important to me to make sure that, one, the activity and nefarious activity is stopped. I don't think that's going on anymore. And I'm pretty, pretty confident of that,' said Allen.
BCSO said Hammerel joined the agency in February 2010 and he served in the DWI unit from January 2013 to November 2024. BSCO said he was working in field services when he was placed on paid administrative leave on Jan. 24, 2025.
KRQE Investigates looked through court records and found that from 2012 to 2023, Hammerel had 24 cases with Attorney Thomas Clear III.
On Wednesday, Clear admitted to working with his Paralegal Ricardo 'Rick' Mendez to pay off officers in exchange for getting his DWI clients off the hook. And of those 24 cases, 15 were dismissed—a 62.5% dismissal rate.
That is something that Allen said he is concerned with.
The sheriff's concerns also extend to the possible public perception of his longtime friendship with Clear and Mendez.
'I was actually friends. Rick, donated to my campaign. I met with Tom Clear. I've talked to all of them for years; that's why. And you asked earlier about emotions. And is it alarming when it comes to Rick and Tom? It is more discouraging and disappointing to know and the perception that they had access to me. Did they ever try anything with me? No, because they know how I am already. But it really does bug me because that perception is out there,' Allen explained.
It was Mendez who implicated BCSO when he admitted to his role in the 'DWI enterprise' in January. However, Mendez didn't say how many deputies he worked with.
KRQE Investigative Reporter Ann Pierret asked the sheriff if he believed that Hammerel was the only BCSO member who was involved in the DWI scheme. The sheriff responded, 'I don't believe anything at this point.'
Sheriff Allen said he would like to see the courts create a public database that would update in real-time, letting him, other law enforcement agencies, and the community know when and why a case is dismissed. Allen says BCSO will make their own if the court isn't on board.
Also, the sheriff's office has created a new position that will keep an eye on any potential patterns that could help them identify future corruption. Allen is hoping to hire a non-law enforcement officer for that role, saying whoever is hired will report directly to his command staff.
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