May 21, 2009- Santa Fe-- RLD Superintended Kelly O' Donnell gave another interview to the news media. This interview was her third that I know about in reference to the unlicensed, illegal security epidemic. Her two previous interviews were about a year ago. I think it is time for everyone to do some fact checking...
July 8, 2008- Jeremy Jojola, investigative Reporter for Channel 4 KOB investigates and interviews Kelly O" Donnell, then a new RLD Superintendent. Watch her interview and the news story. Jeremy does 2-3 other follow up news stories about the same types of problems in the weeks that follow.. CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO. This was her comment almost a year ago to Jeremy..
“In the last several months, it’s become apparent that we need to up our compliance efforts, and we’re doing that,” said Kelly O’Donnel, the head of the state agency responsible for licensing security guards.”
O’Donnel said that, currently, she can’t assure that the next security guard you encounter is licensed “because there’s unlicensed activity. What I can do is assure New Mexicans we are working very diligently to identify that unlicensed activity.”
Unlicensed security companies face a $1,000 fine if they’re caught, but Eyewitness News 4 was only able to find one company that had ever faced that fine. State officials now say they will add resources to go after illegitimate companies.
Check out Jeremy's BLOG for more information on this problem: CLICK HERE.
Kelly O" Donnell also gave Investigative reporter Peter St. Cyr, 770 KKOB, an long interview on the subject about a year ago and said many of the same things that she said to Jeremy. Listen to her interview,then: CLICK HERE.
O’Donnell says they’ll start an aggressive outreach program to businesses and hopes to educate them on the critical need to confirm security companies license status. She says firms who contract security services must insist their providers be licensed by her department. If you have your provider’s security license number you may check ithere.
The Superintendent also says it’s of upmost importance that armed security guards not appear to look like a law enforcement official. She tells us local police chiefs and sheriffs always have to approve private operator’s uniforms, badges and vehicles before they are issued a private patrol operator’s license.
Check out Peter's BLOG for more information on this problem: CLICK HERE.
I applaud these three journalists as they have gotten involved and helped to expose the problem. I am told that Ms. O' Donnell's comments are a classic "spin." In reporter language that means to put a good light on a bad problems without really addressing the real problem. She did a good job recently with Dave Maass but I think that it might be time for some follow up interviews for an update. Has the state really done what it said it would do last year? I wouldn't still be blogging if it had...
Santa Fe Reporter Dave Maass's blog can be viewed HERE.
More about the NM PI Board, where 2/5 of the Board members are out of complianceone doesn't even have an appointment (Khalsa's appointment expired June 2008).?!?%! A third Board member and the Chairman, Board Chair Jochem, is a full-time Attorney General employee and criminal investigator. Is that a conflict of interest? If the Attorney General knows about all of this crazy stuff through its own investigator why is this still going on? I reported these problems with the Board on my Blog a year ago so don't let them tell you they don't know. I also sent a letter to Kelly O 'Donnell herself..(copy on file)
I guess she just forgot about a few hundred people, industry employees or licensee's or victims that vent on my blog all the time. What about these official complaints made to the PI Board with no action?
“It actually strikes me as evidence of the really high degree of transparency of this board,” O’Donnell says. “Mr. Khalsa, who is powerful, if his employees have to come talk to the board about their problems in a public meeting, that suggests to me that he isn’t showing them any preference at all.”
According to RLD’s records, Khalsa’s term on the board expired June 30, 2008. RLD staff says this was an oversight and they are currently in the process of renewing his appointment. SFR was unable to reach Khalsa for comment.
This isn’t the only issue in which the board itself may be out of compliance with the law.
According to statute, the board must include two private investigators, one private patrol operator, a polygraph examiner and one member of the public.
Initially, RLD staff told SFR that Khalsa represents the private patrol operator. However, he currently does not hold a PPO license. Staff also say Board Member Mark Smith is one of the board’s private investigators, though he does not have a PI license on record.
After SFR pointed this out, RLD stated that Khalsa would apply for his PPO license this week.
In the meantime, the board in charge of licensing is itself operating without the proper licenses.
RLD Superintendent Kelly O’Donnell acknowledges unlicensed companies are a problem in New Mexico. But she’s willing to trade punches with Hamic when it comes to his accusations that the Private Investigations Advisory Board, the RLD division that oversees security companies, is asleep on the job.
“I think this board has enhanced the overall professionalism of the industry, which sometimes attracts a sort of individual who might otherwise eschew formal guidelines for conduct and behavior,” O’Donnell says. “But, I’d like to make the point that the
criticism of this agency’s administration of the board has come almost solely from one individual.”
I guess Superintendent O'Donenell forgot about the hundreds of victims, employees of state licensees who vent on my blog comments weekly. What about these complaints that the Board has received from others but failed to act upon. Some of them are very criminal..
The PI Board and RLD received a complaint from John D. Michael (CLICK HERE TO SEE IT) about against United Security about an unlicensed guard beating up a man. The guard turned out to be a CONVICTED FELON who was carrying a gun for crying out loud. What did the state do? NOTHING.
This person made a complaint against United Security because he was beat up by a massive security guard, wearing a gun, with an ARREST Warrant at the time of the incident. he is now missing several teeth and has a severely broken jaw. CLICK HERE for complaint. What did the state do on this one? NOTHING.
More RLD Complaints.. CLICK HERE
These people made complaints, all be it in Bernalillo County Metro Court, but I am told they spoke to Steve Herrera and followed up with written complaints. CLICK HERE. What happened to these complaints?
What about these people? One man had 8 years worth of taxes stolen from him from his FELON security company employer and can't qualify for Social Security. He made a complaint and the state did nothing. Trust me, he is a serious critic of RLD. CLICK HERE.
These are Board Meeting Minutes where discussion was had about a "backlog of complaints." What happened to them? Aren't these people critics? CLICK HERE.
What about this critic of the PI Board? They reported George Davis many months before he was ultimately arrested for unlicensed security in Albuquerque. RLD knew he had no license but dismissed the complaint. See it HERE!
Another critic of RLD submits a complaint because his employer stole his taxes and violated the law. The employer was later indicted for Felony Charges (not having anything to do with any RLD Investigation). The PI Board dismisses the complaint HERE.
I can go on for years with this evidence as I have already demonstrated. I document the truth and don't "spin" anyone. I hope New Mexicans don't allow themselves to be "spun" anymore and demand real action from RLD- not just promises or excuses. I am not the only person to think there is a real problem here but I am one of the people continuing to stand on my "soapbox" and tell everyone how it doesn't make any sense.
I remember that 770 KKOB invited me for a follow up interview about six months ago and RLD Superintendent Kelly O' Donnell initially agreed to do the show also- until she heard I was going to be on it. She immediately canceled when she learned that I would be debating the security problem with her. So much for "transparency."
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