Reader critical of Trujillo administration

Editor:
 
Sergeant Joe Harris died a hero, saving the life of his partner and protecting the citizens of Sandoval County whom he had sworn to protect and serve.  It is unfortunate that Sheriff John Paul Trujillo and Undersheriff Tim Lucero (along with the rest of the Sheriff’s upper-level administration) do not take their oath as seriously.

After the July 16 tragedy, the Sheriff’s Administration downplayed the true nature of Joseph H. Burgess by stating he had NEVER done anything prior which would indicate that he was this violent. Burgess’ known propensity for violence was minimized by the Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO)  which dismissed him as “the Cookie Bandit” who merely broke into homes and stole nothing more than food and clothing.

As the truth was revealed, we learned of Burgess’ extensive sadistic criminal past.  Now we know the SCSO was aware of the two previous incidents involving two Jemez area residents who reported  they had been threatened with a deadly weapon by Burgess.

Undersheriff Lucero is quoted in the July 24 Albuquerque Journal as stating, "This guy was very dangerous, and luckily no one got into a confrontation with him before. I have no doubt he would have taken their life." Undersheriff Lucero is correct, but he also knew the “Cookie Bandit” had previousy tried to kill someone when he made the decision to send the two deputies into that Jemez cabin without a backup team. He knew of the previous incidents by the residents in the area, and he knew this from the previous shooting of Reserve Deputy Luke Dienlin.

Therefore, I ask the following questions:

* Where exactly is the physical evidence from the incident involving Dienlin, who was shot and injured this past November? Initially Sheriff Trujillo said that the shooting of Dienlin was “merely an accident, a stray bullet from an unknown hunter” after he initially denied that a bullet had actually struck someone. But now we know that Dienlin was not only hit, but also treated for very serious injuries as a result of the shooting.  The official report, recently provided to the media (but not by Trujillo), listed “the Cookie Bandit” as the only involved suspect. 

* Why wasn’t the general public and surrounding-area law enforcement agencies made aware of the Dienlin shooting?

* Why wasn’t the State Police called in to investigate Dienlin’s shooting?

* Why didn’t Sheriff Trujillo take action to request assistance from other police agencies to launch a full effort to catch this criminal when he initially began burglarizing and terrorizing the citizens of La Cueva and the surrounding area?

* Most importantly, were Sergeant Harris and Deputy Moriarty made aware of and fully briefed about the Dienlin shooting, and was this incident identified as an additional risk as part of your Risk Assessment and Operation Plan for the stakeout operation?

It appears, with the exception of the SCSO upper-command (which includes the Sheriff, his Undersheriff, and several higher-ranking officers) that nobody else in the SCSO, including the dispatch center and line-level officers, had any knowledge of this recurring “stakeout operation.” 

Sheriff Trujillo, quoted in the July 25 Journal, stated, "I am the supervisor. I am the Sheriff, so that's the reason for that, and it (the stakeout operation) was authorized.” As supervisor and Sheriff, Trujillo is vicariously and 100 percent culpable and accountable. He made the executive decision to execute this stakeout operation while fully knowing that this operation occurred contrary to and directly against established, tried-and-proven proper police operations, tactics, and strategy, and without any hint of a secondary contingency plan.

 Due to this display of incompetence, blatant deceit, and lack of care and safety for his own officers, Sheriff Trujillo should immediately resign. Undersheriff Lucero, who has been hiding silently behind Sheriff Trujillo’s cloak for seven years, is next in line to assume the position.  Since Lucero has stood by Sheriff Trujillo in silent compliance while having complete intimate knowledge of everything that has occurred, and because he has not once displayed the moral courage to stand up as a leader and intervene, he should not be promoted. 

As this matter is still being actively investigated, new details are emerging each day. Based on what has been released up to this point, it is evident that the actions displayed thus far by the current leadership of the SCSO have been nothing less than negligent.

Sergeant Harris’ family, the citizens of Sandoval County, and the entire law enforcement community have the right to know the truth.  The citizens of Sandoval County should demand answers to these questions and others.  It is my hope that the truth will be eventually exposed, and those culpable will indeed face the deserved consequences.

 My heart goes out to the Harris family.  May God bless you during this time of need; Joe will be remembered as having died a true hero.

Douglas C. Wood
Rio Rancho, New Mexico