Attorney General Gary King (Photo by Heath Haussamen)
The N.M. Law Enforcement Academy Board has ousted a lawyer from Attorney General Gary King’s office who most board members said wasn’t effectively doing the job of helping the board strip certification from officers accused of misconduct.
From Capitol Report New Mexico:
“One of the civilian members of the board – attorney Nate Korn – delivered a blistering attack on the lawyer within the AG’s office in charge of handling those misconduct cases. Speaking in front of the board, Korn accused Matt Jackson of ‘inept prosecution,’ asserting that Jackson ‘has basically warehoused cases’ while exhibiting ‘an abysmal lack of preparation and an abysmal lack of understanding of the rules of evidence.’
“In one particular case reported by the Albuquerque Journal, John David Smoker was fired from the Santa Fe Police Department in 2007 after a video surfaced showing Smoker beating a handcuffed teenager but was later hired by the Cuba Police Department and employed for years until retiring on a taxpayer-subsidized pension.
“King defended Jackson, saying he had a ‘clear record’ of successfully bringing cases and accused Korn of making a personal attack.
“‘It sure seems like you’re being a defensive employer rather than an active board member,’ Korn responded.”
According to the Albuquerque Journal, King, a member of the board, cast the sole vote against removing Jackson.
The board also voted to delay action on more than 90 pending cases for 45 days so board members can review each one. From the Journal:
“Among the cases on the list is one against a former APD officer who has ‘been convicted of a federal crime and is still a licensed law enforcement officer in the state of New Mexico,’ (Korn) said.
“The Journal has learned the former officer is Brad Ahrensfield, who has been sentenced to six months in prison and six months’ house arrest for obstruction of justice after he tipped off the target of a narcotics investigation in 2009.”
Violating open meetings law?
As the Las Cruces Sun-News reported, King accused the other board members of “perhaps colluding in violation of the New Mexico open-meetings law.”
From the Sun-News:
“King at three different points said the other board members may have already talked and reached decisions in violation of the state open-meetings law.
“‘The appearance of this is something that strikes me as a little hinky,’ King said.
“One board member, Robert Shilling, chief of the state police, looked at King and told him he had not violated any law calling for openness.”