Does the DWI corruption scandal weaken faith in law enforcement?
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) — We've seen one law enforcement officer after another admit to breaking the law in exchange for money, all part of a long-running DWI corruption scandal. Civil rights attorneys argue that changing policies won't be enough to regain public trust. KRQE Investigator Gabrielle Burkhart explains why they're now calling for 'consequences at the highest level' and how law enforcement leadership is responding.
Latest from KRQE Investigates
Does the DWI corruption scandal weaken faith in law enforcement?
Attorney at center of DWI scheme officially disbarred
Second New Mexico defense attorney implicated in DWI scheme
'I have nothing to hide': APD Chief says he never worked in DWI unit, talks building trust
Key ringleader in DWI scheme allowed to leave the country
A now disgraced paralegal, Rick Mendez, was the first domino to fall in January. Later, his boss, former defense attorney, Thomas Clear III, admitted to leading the so-called 'DWI Enterprise' since 1995, conspiring with law enforcement officers from Albuquerque Police, the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office, and New Mexico State Police to get DWI cases dismissed in court in exchange for cash, extorting people arrested by the officers.
'As a community, I think we just have to let this sink in, feel the gravity of what is happening,' explained Leon Howard, Interim Executive Director of ACLU New Mexico. The gravity of what's happening includes officers admitting they profited by breaking laws they were entrusted to uphold.
'Their motive was not to keep the community safe,' said Howard. 'Their motive was to make money.'
A growing list of officers who are now convicted criminals include former APD officers Honorio Alba Jr., Joshua Montaño, Neill Elsman, and former BCSO deputy, Jeff Hammerel. All of them pled guilty in federal court to conspiracy, extortion, and bribery charges.
'Medina has been a part of this police department for a long time, and if he didn't know, he should have known,' Howard told KRQE. 'I just don't know of any position of leadership or something to this scale that can happen, and there not be consequences.'
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller told KRQE he stands by APD's leadership. 'It takes a lot, I think, to be the team that cleans it up and owns it,' said Keller. 'And that's what we've done.'
APD Chief Harold Medina argues he's been proactive and transparent when it comes to how his department is handling the scheme and weeding out corruption. 'Who's sitting here now, who has made sure that he has been as proactive as possible, started internal investigations like no other entity?' Medina said.
'I have interviewed everybody we possibly can,' said Medina. 'We have had several individuals quit. I don't know how much more proactive we could have been to address this issue.'
In January, APD announced DWI unit reforms in response to the scheme, including entering missed court notices into APD's internal affairs intake system to determine why an officer missed court. Administrative changes include a new DWI Unit handbook, daily briefings, and a more reliable case tracking system.
Chief Medina also signed a Special Order officially capping gifts to officers at $50. The order also prohibits 'any gift from an attorney they regularly interact with in court.'
As for BCSO, Sheriff John Allen said he's hiring a compliance officer to monitor court cases with his deputies, and trusting the FBI to handle the criminal investigation. 'I want to find everybody in this agency, in law enforcement that is doing this nonsense, because it makes everybody around the nation look like crap,' Sheriff Allen said during a news conference last month.
Meanwhile, New Mexico State Police Chief Troy Weisler said he's doing an internal probe as one of his most prominent DWI Sergeants implicated in the scheme remains on leave.'We'll have to go through the whole process and see what turns out on the other side,' Chief Weisler told KRQE during a February interview. 'But, you know, we will be working day in and day out to regain the trust of the community.'
When it comes to accountability at the top, Chief Medina responded to claims that he should lose his job over this. 'I think that it's pretty unfair,' said Chief Medina. 'The Albuquerque Police Department has been the most proactive entity,' he added.
'Has the bar come with any kind of recommendations, how they're going to hold lawyers accountable?' Medina said. 'Has the courts decided we're going to have training, we're going to keep statistics on this? Paralegals – has anybody said, 'Hey, maybe we should have a process to vet paralegals?' Mendez was a felon. Had drug arrests, and he became a paralegal with this confidential information, all the ripe background for corruption,' Medina added.
Chief Medina argues changes beyond law enforcement are also needed. 'I just wish the other parties involved in the criminal justice system did one thing to be proactive and ensure that they're also doing their part because this was not orchestrated by law enforcement officers alone,' said Medina.
When asked if he's confident that a scheme like this cannot perpetuate moving forward, Howard replied, 'We can't say with a bit of confidence that this is the end of it, that nothing like this can happen again. There's a culture of corruption in this police department. It's been going on for decades.'
While citizens have options when it comes to picking private attorneys, Howard argues the public just has to trust any law enforcement officer they may interact with on the street, during a reported crime, or on a traffic stop. Trust in the police is paramount.
'We all implicitly want to trust officers,' said Howard. 'They were lying and getting away with it. And so we all have to question ourselves and hold them accountable and not just take their word for everything they say.'
Each former officer faces lengthy prison time with their federal charges, but they will likely be given a break for their cooperation. At least two civil lawsuits filed on behalf of victims of the corruption scheme are also making their way through the courts.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Lawsuit filed in fatal police shooting of man cuffed in Albuquerque officer's vehicle
Jun. 11—The fatal shooting by Albuquerque police of Matthew "Solo" Garcia while he was handcuffed in the backseat of an officer's SUV in October prompted a tense protest outside the Central Avenue motel in the hours after the killing. Garcia's family on June 2 filed a lawsuit alleging that the Albuquerque Police Department and city officials failed to follow the law and their own policies throughout the encounter on Oct. 18, 2024. "We want our officers and our department — specifically APD — to comply with our constitution," said Taylor Smith, an attorney who filed the suit. "Had that been the case from the outset, I think we would have a drastically different situation, and probably not a wrongful death lawsuit," he said. The shooting occurred after APD and city officials arrived at the Tewa Lodge to enter apartments and evict tenants, the suit alleges. The action violated the state's Uniform Owner-Resident Relations Act and city policies that regulate tenant evictions, it alleges. The lawsuit contends that officers had no right to enter Garcia's room at the Tewa Lodge on Central, just east of San Mateo, without a search warrant or to detain him without cause. It also alleges officers had ample time to search Garcia for a weapon after they cuffed him and placed him in a police vehicle. The 37-page lawsuit, filed last week in 2nd Judicial District Court, seeks undisclosed compensatory and punitive damages and costs. It names the city, APD Chief Harold Medina and three officers and others as defendants. Spokespersons for the city and APD declined Wednesday to respond to the lawsuit. "On APD's side, we will be prepared to respond to the allegations in court," APD spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said in a statement. Garcia had a loaded handgun on his person at the time he was placed into the police SUV. APD officials shared lapel video showing officers Precious Cadena and Zachary Earles firing 11 bullets through the open doors of the vehicle as a third officer wrested the gun from Garcia. "Another important aspect of this case is the fact that the officers were able to get the firearm from Mr. Garcia before they began to shoot him," Smith said. "And there was no communication between the officers when they removed the firearm." APD Chief Medina acknowledged at a news conference that Garcia was placed into the SUV without a pat-down search. An officer had put on gloves to perform a search when Garcia began banging his head against the vehicle, lapel video showed. Officers placed Garcia in the car "in an attempt to calm the situation down," Medina said. The lawsuit alleges that police had ample time to complete the pat-down search in the 40 minutes after Garcia was handcuffed but failed to do so. "It's a good amount of time in which they could have (searched Garcia) while he was being cooperative with officers," Smith said. The lawsuit also contends that the code enforcement operation police and city officials conducted violated city laws and policies and Garcia's constitutional rights. City officials intended to evict all the residents of the Tewa Lodge when they entered the property and began removing tenants from the units without warrants, it alleges. Throughout the interaction, officers "made clear that Mr. Garcia was not free to terminate the encounter and was not free to leave constituting a de facto arrest without reasonable suspicion or probable cause," the suit alleges. Smith said residents in hotel rooms have constitutional protections against unreasonable search and seizure. "You can't just summarily evict somebody because you believe there may be drugs on the property," he said. "You still have to go through the criminal process."
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Lawsuit filed in fatal police shooting of man cuffed in Albuquerque officer's vehicle
Jun. 11—The fatal shooting by Albuquerque police of Matthew "Solo" Garcia while he was handcuffed in the backseat of an officer's SUV in October prompted a tense protest outside the Central Avenue motel in the hours after the killing. Garcia's family on June 2 filed a lawsuit alleging that the Albuquerque Police Department and city officials failed to follow the law and their own policies throughout the encounter on Oct. 18, 2024. "We want our officers and our department — specifically APD — to comply with our constitution," said Taylor Smith, an attorney who filed the suit. "Had that been the case from the outset, I think we would have a drastically different situation, and probably not a wrongful death lawsuit," he said. The shooting occurred after APD and city officials arrived at the Tewa Lodge to enter apartments and evict tenants, the suit alleges. The action violated the state's Uniform Owner-Resident Relations Act and city policies that regulate tenant evictions, it alleges. The lawsuit contends that officers had no right to enter Garcia's room at the Tewa Lodge on Central, just east of San Mateo, without a search warrant or to detain him without cause. It also alleges officers had ample time to search Garcia for a weapon after they cuffed him and placed him in a police vehicle. The 37-page lawsuit, filed last week in 2nd Judicial District Court, seeks undisclosed compensatory and punitive damages and costs. It names the city, APD Chief Harold Medina and three officers and others as defendants. Spokespersons for the city and APD declined Wednesday to respond to the lawsuit. "On APD's side, we will be prepared to respond to the allegations in court," APD spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said in a statement. Garcia had a loaded handgun on his person at the time he was placed into the police SUV. APD officials shared lapel video showing officers Precious Cadena and Zachary Earles firing 11 bullets through the open doors of the vehicle as a third officer wrested the gun from Garcia. "Another important aspect of this case is the fact that the officers were able to get the firearm from Mr. Garcia before they began to shoot him," Smith said. "And there was no communication between the officers when they removed the firearm." APD Chief Medina acknowledged at a news conference that Garcia was placed into the SUV without a pat-down search. An officer had put on gloves to perform a search when Garcia began banging his head against the vehicle, lapel video showed. Officers placed Garcia in the car "in an attempt to calm the situation down," Medina said. The lawsuit alleges that police had ample time to complete the pat-down search in the 40 minutes after Garcia was handcuffed but failed to do so. "It's a good amount of time in which they could have (searched Garcia) while he was being cooperative with officers," Smith said. The lawsuit also contends that the code enforcement operation police and city officials conducted violated city laws and policies and Garcia's constitutional rights. City officials intended to evict all the residents of the Tewa Lodge when they entered the property and began removing tenants from the units without warrants, it alleges. Throughout the interaction, officers "made clear that Mr. Garcia was not free to terminate the encounter and was not free to leave constituting a de facto arrest without reasonable suspicion or probable cause," the suit alleges. Smith said residents in hotel rooms have constitutional protections against unreasonable search and seizure. "You can't just summarily evict somebody because you believe there may be drugs on the property," he said. "You still have to go through the criminal process."
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
U.S. Customs and Border Protection warns of scammers pretending to be agents
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Customs and Border Protection is warning the public about scammers pretending to be their agents. They've gotten reports of the fake agents claiming they received a package of drugs with the victim's name on it. They say the only way to prevent being arrested is to hand over personal information and/or money. Officials defend use of National Defense Areas along New Mexico's southern border The CBP said not to engage with these callers and call the Federal Trade Commission immediately to report it. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
