P.O. Box 21308 u
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87154-1308 u 505-369-4233
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Peter Shams-Avari
(505) 369-4233
PRIEM CONDEMNS LATEST SOCIAL MEDIA SMEAR
CAMPAIGN
Albuquerque,
NM – Republican Candidate for the First Congressional District, Richard Priem today condemned the latest attempt by left wing ideologues to use social media
to attack his reputation and misrepresent his background, experiences and
beliefs.
In a series
of messages on Twitter that appeared last night and this morning, it was
alleged by several authors that Priem supported all use of deadly force by the
Albuquerque Police Department and actually was involved in training Albuquerque
police officers in use of force policies and procedures. Priem has done
neither.
“First and
foremost, I only support use of deadly force in situations where it is required
to protect officers or bystanders from death or serious bodily harm (and legally
justified),” Priem said. “I believe that the new leadership at APD should be
given an opportunity to address any problems they find before the heavy hand of
the Federal government orders actions that may not be fully justified.”
Priem went
on to say that “The vast majority of police officers in Albuquerque are
responsible public servants, committed to protecting our community from those
who would do us harm. To label the entire police department as a ‘problem’
represents a gross distortion of reality.”
Priem is a
long-time law enforcement manager, having served as the Provost Marshal (chief
of police) at what was the largest military installation in the “free” world at
the time and as Executive Officer of a forward-deployed Military Police
Brigade. He also provided oversight for all military police and combating
terrorism training conducted by the U.S. Army. “We had an enviable record in
the Army when I served in these roles,” Priem stated. “I am proud of the fact
that we had no unjustified law enforcement shooting incidents during my term in
that position.”
Priem also
managed development and delivery of training for civilian first responders
responsible for preventing terrorist bombing attacks and conducting effective
operations during bombing incidents that actually occur. Commenting on that
training, Priem stated that “We had a complex use of force policy for suicide
bombing scenarios that was reviewed and approved by government lawyers. To the
best of my knowledge, none of our graduates has been accused of inappropriate
use of force in any incident.” These training courses brought over $250M into
the New Mexico economy during Priem’s tenure as contract manager.
“I sincerely
hope that the misrepresentations that emerged last night and today don’t
reflect approval by the Michelle Lujan-Grisham campaign,” according to Priem.
“I suspect that she doesn’t want to face me in the general election but I hope
that her campaign will deliver only responsible, truthful statements designed
to highlight the differences in our political positions. The voters of this
District deserve that.”
Priem
believes that all the citizens of our community should allow the leadership at
APD to identify and make any necessary changes to policies, procedures and
training based on their analyses of the regrettable shooting incidents of the
recent past. ”The police department in Albuquerque stands between us and the
chaos that would occur without their presence and support,” according to Priem.
“Let’s tone down the rhetoric and solve problems responsibly and professionally.”
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