ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – When controversial Sheriff David Clarke stepped down from his Wisconsin position last year, many members of his own state were happy to see him go.
“‘Yippeee! Giddyddy Up and Leave!’ was my response,” said Wisconsin State Senator Lena Taylor in 2017.
Yet, the New Mexico Gang Task Force is inviting him to speak to local law enforcement officers during their annual conference. Dozens of Albuquerque Police officers and hundreds of other agents from across the state normally attend.
As part of their 20th-anniversary celebration, Clarke will be the keynote speaker. He will also be the guest of honor at a VIP dinner, which is open to the public.
KRQE News 13 spoke with Antoinette Apodaca, one of the event’s organizers, over the phone.
Apodaca says they selected Clarke strictly because of his fierce loyalty to law enforcement and law enforcement background.
Apodaca says they are okay with everything that Clarke has publically said so far.
However, Gilbert Gallegos, spokesperson for the Albuquerque Police Department, is not.
In a statement, Gallegos told KRQE News 13:
“It’s disappointing that any New Mexico organization would invite someone with such a radical disregard for civil rights and human dignity to be a keynote speaker. This invitation sends the wrong message at the wrong time, as we bring back community policing and make progress toward restoring public trust in law enforcement.”
KRQE News 13 also reached out to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller for comment but did not hear back.
Currently, the New Mexico Gang Task Force has a page on the state’s Department of Public Safety website.
However, Secretary Scott Weaver says that page should not be there and there is no connection between the Department of Public Safety and the New Mexico Gang Task Force.
The NMGTF is described, on its Facebook page, as a “multi-jurisdictional gang task force in the state, with more than 60 law enforcement member agencies.”
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