AN ALBUQUERQUE CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE LAST WEEK HELD A HEARING TO GET INFORMATION ON LAST YEAR’S ALBUQUERQUE STING OPERATION BY THE A-T-F AND THE U-S ATTORNEY’S OFFICE. ALBUQUERQUE CITY COUNCILOR PAT DAVIS SAYS THEY WERE TO ROUND UP AND ARREST SO-CALLED WORST OF THE WORST GUN TRAFFICKING OFFENDERS, BUT INSTEAD ARRESTED THOSE WHO WERE NOT GUN RUNNERS OR WERE AFRICAN AMERICAN.
DAVIS CHAIRED LAST WEEK’S HEARING. HE SAYS THAT, AT THE END OF THE DAY, THEY NEEDED TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED. HE SAYS THEY’LL EVENTUALLY MOVE TOWARD A RESOLUTION ASKING NEW MEXICO’S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION TO ASK FOR FEDERAL HEARINGS. DAVIS SAYS SIMILAR ARRESTS TOOK PLACE IN NINE OTHER CITIES.
THE VOTE WAS DELAYED FOR THREE MONTHS. A FEDERAL JUDGE REVIEWED THE STING OPERATION DECLARED THAT THE WAY THE STING WAS DESIGNED WOULD LEAD TO MORE MINORITIES THAN SERIOUS OFFENDERS BEING ARRESTED.
