Nick Bakas: City Chief Lies to Public
Why would Mayor Chavez's Chief of Public Safety lie to the public?
On Sunday's "Eye on New Mexico," hosted by Monica Armenta [KOB-TV Ch. 4], Nick Bakas repeatedly lied to ALL of us. The discussion focused on the City's treatment and associated policies toward David Siebers. Monica was joined by Bakas, program co-host Dennis Domrzalski, and ACLU director, Peter Simonson.
Bakas said, and re-iterated a number of times in regard to rehabilitation programs for sex offenders: "We don't have such a treatment community. We don't have such an ability here in New Mexico. There are places that do [such as California]. We don't have these facilities here."
[Bakas: No Treatment in NM QuickTime movie, 580k]
Last week I obtained a verbal commitment from a director of a facility here in New Mexico. They would love to work with David. It's a six-month intensive program. Their work has a documented 95% success rate. On Wednesday, Feb. 12th, I provided David with an overview of the program and details. Alexis Johnson [KOB-TV Ch. 4] reported this information on her late night program that evening. David is considering the proposal at this time.
Bakas admits, "There are ways to treat this individual, with respect to therapeutic communities, treatment communities." Yet he then deceives the public by claiming there are no treatment facilities in New Mexico.
Bakas adds further, "Why should we here in New Mexico bear the brunt of an individual that WILL re-offend?" This is another lie. Bakas cannot predict, FOR CERTAIN, whether David WILL re-offend or whether he WILL NOT. Bakas cannot predict whether any of Bernalillo County's more than 600 sexual offenders will or will not re-offend. Bakas again lies to the public, apparently to create fear surrounding this issue.
[Bakas: Siebers Will Re-offend QuickTime movie, 286k]
Peter Simonson, ACLU director, counters the claims made by Bakas. He questions why the "apocryphal report" that allegedly finds David so dangerous is being withheld by government. David, David's attorney, and publicly on a national CNN program hosted by Connie Chung, repeatedly requested the report. The government will not release it -- even to David. Think of the implications if government can hide information from you, particularly this type of damaging, and fear-inducing information. Do you see the real danger here?
[Simonson: Govt Will Not Release Proof QuickTime movie, 404k]
There is one certainty: treatment is the best way to manage this problem. By pushing David around, hounding and harassing him, our politicians increase the likelihood David might re-engage in anti-social behavior. Is this the answer you want from your public officials?
Bakas attempts to justify his actions, and those of Mayor Chavez, claiming we have a "full plate" of homegrown sexual offenders. This isn't correct either. Here is a PDF list of KNOWN Offenders Who Reside in 87111 Zip Code. Of the fourteen (14) KNOWN convicted sexual offenders, at least five (5) are from outside New Mexico. If that ratio is consistent across the over 600 KNOWN sex offenders in Bernalillo County, we can estimate there are more than 214 convicted sexual offenders FROM OUTSIDE NEW MEXICO at this time. Clearly, Bakas and our mayor haven't been successful preventing other sexual offenders from locating in New Mexico.
[Bakas: Full Plate of NM Offenders QuickTime movie, 591k]
Dennis Domrzalski provides the appropriate final question to this story. He wisely asks why the mayor and Bakas are not highlighting the City's many DWI offenders, burglars, murders, drug dealers or other violent offenders. Why "just one guy?" Why?
[Domrzalski: Why This One Guy? QuickTime movie, 284k]
Why lie, Nick? Why does the mayor, his staff and officials, continue to deceive the public? Why do they continue to scare and create panic among the thousands of New Mexicans on this issue? Isn't this now the most important question?
Scott and AnnMarie Goold
February 16, 2003
[video source: KOB-TV Ch. 4, "Eye on New Mexico," Feb. 16, 2003]
Why would Mayor Chavez's Chief of Public Safety lie to the public?
On Sunday's "Eye on New Mexico," hosted by Monica Armenta [KOB-TV Ch. 4], Nick Bakas repeatedly lied to ALL of us. The discussion focused on the City's treatment and associated policies toward David Siebers. Monica was joined by Bakas, program co-host Dennis Domrzalski, and ACLU director, Peter Simonson.
Bakas said, and re-iterated a number of times in regard to rehabilitation programs for sex offenders: "We don't have such a treatment community. We don't have such an ability here in New Mexico. There are places that do [such as California]. We don't have these facilities here."
[Bakas: No Treatment in NM QuickTime movie, 580k]
Last week I obtained a verbal commitment from a director of a facility here in New Mexico. They would love to work with David. It's a six-month intensive program. Their work has a documented 95% success rate. On Wednesday, Feb. 12th, I provided David with an overview of the program and details. Alexis Johnson [KOB-TV Ch. 4] reported this information on her late night program that evening. David is considering the proposal at this time.
Bakas admits, "There are ways to treat this individual, with respect to therapeutic communities, treatment communities." Yet he then deceives the public by claiming there are no treatment facilities in New Mexico.
Bakas adds further, "Why should we here in New Mexico bear the brunt of an individual that WILL re-offend?" This is another lie. Bakas cannot predict, FOR CERTAIN, whether David WILL re-offend or whether he WILL NOT. Bakas cannot predict whether any of Bernalillo County's more than 600 sexual offenders will or will not re-offend. Bakas again lies to the public, apparently to create fear surrounding this issue.
[Bakas: Siebers Will Re-offend QuickTime movie, 286k]
Peter Simonson, ACLU director, counters the claims made by Bakas. He questions why the "apocryphal report" that allegedly finds David so dangerous is being withheld by government. David, David's attorney, and publicly on a national CNN program hosted by Connie Chung, repeatedly requested the report. The government will not release it -- even to David. Think of the implications if government can hide information from you, particularly this type of damaging, and fear-inducing information. Do you see the real danger here?
[Simonson: Govt Will Not Release Proof QuickTime movie, 404k]
There is one certainty: treatment is the best way to manage this problem. By pushing David around, hounding and harassing him, our politicians increase the likelihood David might re-engage in anti-social behavior. Is this the answer you want from your public officials?
Bakas attempts to justify his actions, and those of Mayor Chavez, claiming we have a "full plate" of homegrown sexual offenders. This isn't correct either. Here is a PDF list of KNOWN Offenders Who Reside in 87111 Zip Code. Of the fourteen (14) KNOWN convicted sexual offenders, at least five (5) are from outside New Mexico. If that ratio is consistent across the over 600 KNOWN sex offenders in Bernalillo County, we can estimate there are more than 214 convicted sexual offenders FROM OUTSIDE NEW MEXICO at this time. Clearly, Bakas and our mayor haven't been successful preventing other sexual offenders from locating in New Mexico.
[Bakas: Full Plate of NM Offenders QuickTime movie, 591k]
Dennis Domrzalski provides the appropriate final question to this story. He wisely asks why the mayor and Bakas are not highlighting the City's many DWI offenders, burglars, murders, drug dealers or other violent offenders. Why "just one guy?" Why?
[Domrzalski: Why This One Guy? QuickTime movie, 284k]
Why lie, Nick? Why does the mayor, his staff and officials, continue to deceive the public? Why do they continue to scare and create panic among the thousands of New Mexicans on this issue? Isn't this now the most important question?
Scott and AnnMarie Goold
February 16, 2003
[video source: KOB-TV Ch. 4, "Eye on New Mexico," Feb. 16, 2003]
4513 Oahu Dr. NE