Santa Fe New Mexican, Aug. 15, 2014

Page 1

‘For a Love of His People’: Horace Poolaw’s photographic legacy Pasatiempo, inside The New Mexi

can’s Weekly

Locally owned and independent

Friday, August 15, 2014

Magazine of Arts,

Enter tainment

& Culture

August 15, 2014

www.santafenewmexican.com $1.25

Fit for a queen

Police chief drops plan to ease hiring rules

Exhibit highlights treasured garments of La Conquistadora.

Existing policy that bars anyone convicted of domestic abuse stands By Daniel J. Chacón The New Mexican

PAGE B-1

Tax dispute settled After the city filed suit, the company that built the convention center shells out $605,867. PAGE B-1

Santa Fe’s police chief on Thursday backed away from the idea of abolishing a policy that would disqualify anyone convicted of domestic violence or battery on a household member from becoming a police officer.

Chief Eric Garcia’s abrupt withdrawal of the proposed policy revision, which was breeding distrust and suspicions about the chief’s motives among the rank-andfile, came after inquiEric Garcia ries from The New Mexican. “It has been recalled due to feedback from various people in the department,” police spokeswoman Celina Espinoza said. “We want to make sure

that everybody’s opinion is taken into account.” Garcia, who became the police chief in June, issued a memo Tuesday proposing to eliminate a policy stating that misdemeanor domestic violence or battery upon a household member “in which the applicant has been convicted of, plead guilty to, or entered a plea of nolo contendere will be grounds for disqualification.” Marsie Silvestro, executive director at Esperanza Shelter for Battered Families, expressed concern about the message the proposed policy change

would send to the public. “I think he has to think, ‘How does that look to the public and how does that look to survivors as well?’ ” she said. “To me, it sends a message that if you have a title or are somebody wellknown or a sports figure, we’ll let it go. To me, domestic violence is domestic violence,” she said. Hours before the chief withdrew his proposal, Espinoza defended the policy change, saying Garcia wanted to

Please see POLICY, Page A-4

Judge keeps audit results from public HACIENDAS — A PARADE OF HOMES

Ruling says ongoing criminal investigation trumps the public’s right to information. PAGE B-1

Troopers take over for police after teen’s death

SFCC Ahead of tour, organizers see increases signs of revitalized market tuition, cuts staff Board unanimously OKs plan to fix budget gap By Robert Nott

Missouri gives security duties to highway patrol amid outcry for changes

The New Mexican

By Wesley Lowery, Jerry Markon and Mark Berman The Washington Post

FERGUSON, Mo. — Federal and state officials unveiled a sweeping response Thursday to violent clashes between police and protesters over the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager, with Missouri taking over security operations from local police and authorities agreeing to accept Justice Department help in handling protests. Speaking from Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., where he is on vacation, President Barack Obama called for national unity following the police shooting Saturday of Michael Brown, 18, in this St. Louis suburb. “Now is the time for peace and calm on the streets of Ferguson,” Obama said. “Let’s remember that we’re all part of one American family.” Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. then announced a series of steps his department is taking, including a meeting held Thursday with civic leaders to calm tensions and an escalating civil rights probe in which federal investigators have already interviewed witnesses to the shooting. In unusually blunt remarks, Holder said he was “deeply concerned” about “the deployment of military equipment and vehicles” on Ferguson’s streets and that Missouri officials have accepted federal assistance “to conduct crowd control and maintain

Please see DEATH, Page A-4

Property crimes down in 2014 Auto

400

389 Residential 361

350 300

298

According to Santa Fe police, burglaries in the city from January though July are down from last year in most categories.

From left, Bill Deuschle, chairman of the Haciendas — A Parade of Homes Tour and owner of construction company Fabu-WALL-ous Solutions, and Kim Shanahan, executive officer of the Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association, stand outside one of this year’s tour homes. JANE PHILLIPS/THE NEW MEXICAN

Amid increased public interest, annual event features 19 dwellings By Bruce Krasnow The New Mexican

T

he swagger is back for Santa Fe homebuilders. With the opening of the Haciendas — A Parade of Homes Tour on Friday, builders are showcasing 19 homes that stretch the imagination for both Santa Fe style and energy efficiency. “It’s the best parade that we’ve had in the past three or four years,” said Bill Deuschle, chairman of the 2014 event and owner of construction

247

i17% i37%

200 150

Commercial 143

2013

2014

919 732 Total, Jan.-July

i20%

115 Attempted burglary

100 50

h24%

i22% 45

35

Unlawful entry 9 9

0 SOURCE: SANTA FE POLICE DEPARTMENT

Index

Calendar A-2

THE NEW MEXICAN

Classifieds C-2

Please see TOUR, Page A-4

IF YOU GO What: Haciendas — A Parade of Homes Tour When: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Aug. 15-17 and Aug. 22-24 Cost: $15 What: Haciendas — A Parade of Homes Twilight Tour When: 4 to 9 p.m., Friday, Aug. 22 Cost: Free Tickets: ticketssantafe.org Locations: Go to the Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association website, www. sfahba.com, to find a map showing the location of the homes. Tickets will be issued at each property.

Please see SFCC, Page A-4

Burglaries in July plummet to record low Police say property crimes throughout city have decreased in most categories By Uriel J. Garcia The New Mexican

250

company Fabu-WALL-ous Solutions. “It’s a whole other world from what it’s been like the past few years.” Deuschle said interest in the home tour from both sponsors and builders is strong this year, and he expects more visitors to walk through the properties, which stretch from Canyon Road and Museum Hill to Rufina Street and South Meadows Road. The tour was originally established as a way to market spec homes when builders purchased lots, borrowed money to construct a home and sold it upon completion. That business melted down during the recession, when risk and speculative lending was turned off. Today, most of the new homes and remodels on the tour are owner-occupied or under contract.

Santa Fe Community College’s governing board on Thursday unanimously approved measures to close a $5 million budget shortfall. The measures include a $5-percredit-hour tuition hike for students starting in January, staff reductions, and salary decreases for employees earning $30,000 or more. “When you try to fix a problem with a year’s time, we have to take some actions that are severe,” board member Martha Romero told the assembly. There was little discussion or public protest during Thursday’s board meeting. Interim college President Randy Grissom said he began looking closely at the college’s budget in December and discovered some inconsistencies: “There were some things out of whack,” he said. Under the previous administration of Ana “Cha” Guzmán, the college overestimated revenues and underestimated expenses, leading to the surprise deficit and a draw on cash reserves, Grissom said. The college also overspent on capital projects, increased full-time faculty salaries by an average of 3 percent, hired 11 new full-time faculty members and incorrectly figured the cost of early retirements last year. All these decisions were approved by the governing board. Board chairwoman Linda Siegle said earlier this week that “it is our fault that this happened.” The board has since created a Board Finance Committee to look

The monthly burglary rate in the city dropped to the lowest since the Santa Fe Police Department began its current record-keeping system in 2003, according to data released Thursday. A total of 78 burglaries — including 33 residential burglaries — were reported last month. During the three months

Comics C-8

Main office: 983-3303 Late paper: 986-3010 News tips: 983-3035

Crosswords A-8, C-3

ending July 31, there were 306 burglaries, a 26 percent decrease over the same period last year. Burglary includes residential, commercial and auto burglaries, as well as attempted burglary and unlawful entry. Santa Fe police Chief Eric Garcia, in a news release, attributed the decline in the burglary rate “to a combination of increased morale within the department, the creation of a new standalone nar-

Lotteries A-2

Opinions A-7

cotics unit, scheduling changes and a shift in the way officers approach crime prevention.” On Aug. 2, the police department went to a four 10-hourday workweek at the request of Garcia, who became the police chief in June. The former chief had credited a fiveday workweek in part for the decline in burglary rates. According to the FBI, there were 3,896 property crimes reported in Santa Fe in 2012, the most recent year for which data is available. The FBI includes larcenytheft and motor vehicle theft in the property crime total.

Sports B-5

Time Out A-8

The Santa Fe Police Department data show that there were 1,930 burglaries during that time period. The FBI collects the data through its Uniform Crime Reporting Program. Local law enforcement agencies report crimes in seven different categories. The program helps Santa Fe police and other agencies track crime trends and apply for federal grants for crime fighting. Contact Uriel J. Garcia at 986-3062 or ugarcia@ sfnewmexican.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ujohnnyg.

Generation Next C-1

BREAKING NEWS AT WWW.SANTAFENEWMEXICAN.COM

Today Scattered storms. High 85, low 57. PAGE A-6

Obituaries Barbara T. Garcia, 54, Aug. 10 Carol S. Willenbrock, 61, July 15 PAGE B-2

Three sections, 24 pages Pasatiempo, 80 pages 165th year, No. 227 Publication No. 596-440


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