MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL MEETING, 08 JULY 2008

Attendee list sent around

Introductions

Discussed who needs to be “re-elected”: all Directors and President and Treasurer. President and Treasurer are re-elected on even years, and Vice-President and Secretary are re-elected on odd years.

Conducted Elections:

Judy Minks volunteered to be a Director for another year. (She volunteered to be the 3rd Director in Spring 2008, and the Board accepted her proposal at the May 8, 2008 meeting.) Nena-Joy Almovadar was also re-elected as a Director, and Jay Brotz volunteered to serve as a Director. We voted on President – Wayne Aspholm was re-elected. John Minks was voted in as Treasurer. Mary Arnholt asked to be removed from her second year as Secretary, and Ray Dymale will serve as both VP and Secretary.

2008 – 2009 ECNA Board and Directors:

President – Wayne Aspholm

VP/Secretary – Ray Dymale

Treasurer – John Minks

Directors: Judy Minks, Jay Brotz, Nena-Joy Almovadar

Capt. Levi Anaya attended the meeting, and he was next on the agenda. He discussed his experience in Washington D.C. at the National Police Academy training last summer and local ABQ issues. APD is doing well with internal programs and well beyond many other police departments nation-wide in terms of recruiting, mentorship, and training.

Capt. Anaya was promoted to “Commander” due to leaving the union and due to collective bargaining agreement. Foothills Sub-Command has a started a newsletter, sent out quarterly to residents. He discussed the upcoming APD website residents can access to see what is going on in their neighborhoods – it should be up and running later this calendar year. He also discussed the APD’s new computer networking system – giving officers “real-time” info, mug shots, etc. in their cars, drastically upgrading their infrastructure.

Commander Anaya discussed the general level of activity in our area and handed out a report of types of disturbances. He said our neighborhood is very quiet and low on crime. He also proposed the permanent speed posting sign that he has seen in District 9. He discussed the “speed van” and told us that when posted on Tramway, drivers actually slow down and obey the speed limit signs. He told us that on Montgomery Blvd, the frequency of racing has decreased due to APD’s “No Tolerance” policy.

John Minks – red light camera status? Cmdr. Anaya said they’re here to stay – they have actually increased the safety in our intersections.

Nena-Joy Almodovar – any stats on motorcycle accidents? He doesn’t usually get them.

How much has the force increased? APD went back to a 5/8 schedule and has increased visibility and coverage for the streets. With the cadets at the academy, APD currently has 1,097 officers. He is pleased that officers often return to their stations at their yearly bids. Open Space officers are housed at the Joseph Dwyer Police Sub-Station, but it cannot be kept open regularly due to lack of administrative staff.

Judy Minks – how has gas affected APD ops? They’ve started to do some of their patrols on bikes.

East Central corridor crime? Has been cut drastically: caught the burglars that were striking the mobile home parks. Hotel/motel initiative is to work with hotel management on east Central to keep an eye on manifest lists, suspicious activity. Police are running license plates, aggressive enforcement of the panhandlers on the 2 vacant grocery stores – keeping grocery carts in the store lots. Singing Arrow NA can help curb the criminal activity by keeping their eyes peeled for suspicious persons.

Cmdr. Anaya said for us all to report suspicious activity so he can check it out before it might become anything serious.

Homeless or panhandlers on street corners asking for money? Legal? No, it’s not legal. APD works with crisis outreach programs – he said to call APD and they will respond. He said they have the resources to deal with the homeless and that giving them money doesn’t help the problem – it just encourages them to keep panhandling. He said to call 242-COPS and report the panhandlers we see.

Judy Minks made a point of complimenting the police officers as a whole, telling Cmdr. Anaya that residents appreciate their work. She said she had seen officers handle mentally disturbed persons very well and could tell they had benefited from training.

Judy Minks gave a first-hand report on the Feb 6, 2008 meeting with the Vista Del Mundo NA on last year’s traffic calming project. She said she had decided to take a break from pursuing this due to the Capital Outlay money being expired.

The next Board meeting was scheduled for Thursday, Sept 11, 2008 at the Indian School Fire Station.

The meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Mary Arnholt, ECNA Secretary 2007-2008

QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER FROM THE APD FOOTHILLS AREA COMMAND

Commander Levi Anaya offered some useful tips on bicycle safety. Studies have shown that wearing a helmet can save your life in the event of a crash. It is also a good idea to equip your bicycle with a rearview mirror so that you don't have to take your eyes off of the road in front of you. This is especially important on rough roads or on roads with vehicular traffic.

Cyclists must remember that they are considered as slow moving vehicles and should obey all traffic requirements established for motorists. Motorists should also respect the fact that cyclists have the same right to use the road. When passing a bicyclist, motorists should proceed with caution, providing at least five (5) feet or more of clearance. Moreover, any person operating a motor vehicle is prohibited from harassing or endangering a bicyclist by the movement or maneuvering of the motor vehicle.

When traveling in groups or in the proximity of other bikers, it is important to travel safely. City Ordinance 8-3-3-15 states:

a) Persons riding bicycles in a business district of the City shall ride in a single file.

b) Persons riding bicycles on a roadway other than in a business district shall not ride more than two abreast except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles where more than two abreast may ride in safety.

For more information, contact BikeABQ at www.bikeabq.org or contact the City of Albuquerque at www.cabq.gov/bike.

Lt. Ruben Griego offered some guidance regarding abandoned and inoperable vehicles. City of Albuquerque Ordinance 8-5-2-3 states that a vehicle is abandoned if:

1. The vehicle is parked on or along any street, alley, or public way and the vehicle displays no current license plate and validating sticker; or

2. The vehicle is left unattended on or along any public property, street, alley, or public way in the same place for a period of 36 hours without a valid police sticker; or

3. The vehicle is left on private property without the consent of the property owner, tenant, or occupant for a period of 24 hours; or

4. At a private residence, any vehicle that is not lawfully parked on a driveway for a period of at least 36 hours.

If you observe a vehicle that is in violation, please notify 242-COPS (2677) or call the Foothills Substation at 332-5240.