What's going on, Albuquerque?

The Morning Fix

Soon we will all have another choice for disposing of those restless $1's in our pockets.
Baillio's, BAILLIO'S, B..A..I..L..L..I..O..S may be in trouble.
Defense attorneys are accusing ABQ police of having a DWI quota. Is this a bad thing if true? Not unless police stop enforcing once they bag their quota if you ask me.
I know this in not really an Albuquerque story, but I find it too interesting not to raise it. How much of a clueless bastard (or bigot) is this guy that he couldn't see this coming?
I think I'll put this in the believe-it-when-I-see-it category.
Mounted laser weapon? Haven't we seen this before?

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Comment by slamwagon on October 28, 2009 at 9:21am: Yes, a quota is a bad thing.

Comment by ramon t on October 28, 2009 at 9:26am: Darn, here I thought we were getting another topless club to dispose of our restless $1's. :). Just kidding my lovely wife, if you are reading DCF today.

Comment by cathyray on October 28, 2009 at 9:47am: We make it a point to shop local when we can but last time we went to Baillos we had the crappiest service ever & left. Plus it bugged me that they sold to a Colorado company yet tried to still keep the image of mom & pop. Business is business & I understand that. Anyway, I hate to see anyone lose a job or see a business close. good luck to them.

Comment by once banned twice shy on October 28, 2009 at 9:56am: Quotas are bad because they encourage police to stop and arrest people who are not, in fact, driving under the influence. People who may have had, say, one glass of wine for dinner. But, the cop is almost at the end of his or her shift and needs to get a DWI bust in for the night, so he or she pulls over someone for not using a turn signal or supposed swerving, makes the person go through the stupid human tricks and claims they didn't pass them and boom, DWI arrest made. Then it is up to the person arrested to fight the arrest--and they win, but not after tying up a lot of court and DA time and resources.

Comment by syswalla on October 28, 2009 at 10:17am: It appears in the DWI article that the officers may be charging people with DWI that are substantially under the limit. Please remember that fighting such a charge is not the same as contesting a traffic ticket. Even if you are innocent it will cost you substantial time and money to clear yourself. While I do believe New Mexico has a DWI problem the efforts should be concentrated on those that cause the most harm - those who drive with a high BAC and repeat offenders (often in the same group). They shouldn't be picking on people that have a glass of wine with dinner.

I'm sure there are those that would disagree and will state there should be zero tolerance for any alcohol if driving, but that's not what the law states. On the surface this appears to be over-enforcement.

Comment by Lee on October 28, 2009 at 10:24am: I'm not sure I have a problem with DWI quota's..though it does seem a bit odd that it would be needed.

I mean.. I would think you would only need a quota to encourage officers to be on the lookout for it.. and that sort of seems like it ought to be happening already. Maybe that isn't the case.

I'm not sure false arrest is much of an issue. Couldn't you just ask/submit to a breathalyzer, pass and be on your way ? I've never been pulled over for this,... so maybe it is a huge ordeal.

Comment by Juan on October 28, 2009 at 11:08am: My friend's brother was arrested for DWI recently for blowing a .03 or .04. From his story, I definitely don't think he deserved to be arrested for DWI and when I heard about the APD quota, I automatically thought about his situation. I think the quota is a bad idea and also think the attorney is correct in accusing APD of having one.

Comment by slamwagon on October 28, 2009 at 11:10am: They can arrest you for ANY amount of alcohol in your system. You can be arrested for .03. You would usually pass and be on your merry way, but if the quota for the night wasn't filled...

Comment by Another Mike on October 28, 2009 at 11:20am: RE: LASERS. What about the MIRROR Test? Can't basic mirrors simply deflect/reflect such things -- or am I perpetuating some kind of myth? My Googholio did not yield any real (understandable) answers...

Comment by Juan on October 28, 2009 at 11:55am: Exactly Slamwagon, its per the officer's discretion, and usually you wouldn't think you'd be arrested for blowing a .03, but to me that's where the quota comes in. I know the attorney also noted that he's seen a trend where a lot more people are getting arrested for blowing way below the legal limit.

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