I'm not even going to link to any the articles because I think it's stupid there's so much attention being paid to the non-issue.
I posted to this blog a long time ago that a couple of elected officials may have been in a "do you know who I am?" situation with the local fuzz. Like most rumors I post to my blog, this one inspired folks to give me the rest of the story. After hearing the story I decided I had taken it as fas as it deserved to go. The story wasn't all that interesting.
Well, Martian Paredes got to looking around an eventually found the paperwork behind the rumors I heard. Showing zero judgement and with little facts, Martian went about making a nothing incident into the crime of the century.
And because the El Paso Times is a schizophrenic news outlet, they decided to run with the story as well. They are schizophrenic because they attacked their beloved power couple for pretty much no reason. It left me asking "who are you El Paso Times?" I don't know, maybe the schizo comparison is the best here... but you get what I'm saying.
I'm debating as I type this to use their names. I'm not sure it's fair for their names to pop up in a google search associated with this non-story... We'll see what I decide below.
The gist of the story is that cops talk to electeds. Electeds get whiny with the cops. Cops cover their ass by bringing in another layer of bureaucracy (their immediate boss). Then everyone goes home. It's unclear if anyone was able to procure that culinary gift from God - a #2 with triple cheese and side of chicken gravy.
If every citizen getting into it with a cop was reported as this story was reported - the daily newspaper would be thicker than a book. It's just ridiculous to waste ink on such a non-story.
There are plenty of policy related criticism to be made of any El Paso politician and we'd all be better off if the local paper would focus on what matters - policy. Not police at Whataburger. Just policy.
DK, these are public officials and are held to a higher standard just as a police officer should be.
Personally, if I was a public official I would have not mentioned my title just to keep it low key. The mentioning of titles or position was an attempt to intimidate. Yes, it is a valid story. How can officials create legislation and violate them as well without concern of punishment ? Why do public officials caught in affairs make headlines? Because it involves morals and judgement,.
Posted by: The rest of the story | May 12, 2016 at 08:30 AM
Some writers have a hard time convincing themselves of Reality.
Actually the USMS story in the Times seems more interesting.
Lesson 101
1. Power seeks to Expand. US v Nixon
2. Rights belong only to the belligerent claimant. US v Johnson
Posted by: Carl M Starr | May 12, 2016 at 11:13 AM
maybe your influenced by the fact that you've had run ins with the cops. Especially the time you received the DUI. You seem to have sympathy for Anne Lilly and the tree cutting incident, too.
Posted by: question | May 12, 2016 at 12:19 PM
Off duty cops at a Whataburger that got into an argument with patrons is hardly shocking.
Based on the report it doesn't sound like any crime was committed or even alleged to begin with. If the cop says one of them smelled like alcohol, then they wouldn't be doing their jobs by letting someone back on the streets in that condition, so I find that part hard to believe.
What laws were being broken? If management hadn't asked them to leave, the this is basically an argument with someone acting like a security guard and nothing more.
Elected officials are held to a higher standard, but so are cops. If the cops had to call in a supervisor, and there wasn't even a citation issues, then it sounds like the cops were in the wrong.
The report even says their professionalism was addressed.
I wonder if the follow-up question will be about what they ordered.
Bottom line, unless there was a manager telling the cops to get rid of them this just sounds like a couple of cops who are jerks and they ran into people that actually questioned them.
That's not illegal.
Posted by: Abel Montes | May 12, 2016 at 01:57 PM
Protocol is that if a public official is stopped or involved in an issue, then police must call a supervisor. Don't try and blame the police who just did their job.
And I do think this is a story because the do-you-know-who-I-am attitude lets us all know that couple believes they are more privileged than you and I. She continually shows her true colors -- no class.
Posted by: Hamburger Lady | May 13, 2016 at 12:23 AM
Hamburger, point well taken. Protocol would not have been implemented if they hadn't started with the thrusting of their "fame" into the officers face. It's that same attitude that gets entertainers in trouble. The belief that they are an exception, richer than the peons and even smarter.
If there was a strong belief that the officers were unprofessional or unfair, why didn't they file a complaint? They knew there was no basis for a complaint and they couldn't afford anymore bad PR. Immaturity and arrogance keeps rearing its head with Ordaz and Perez every time.
Posted by: You may kiss my ring | May 13, 2016 at 01:03 AM
Abel Montes, not sure where you get your "facts" that are not facts. Hamburger Lady is correct. Once someone lets police know they are elected officials or the officers recognize them as such, they have to call a supervisor. This protects both the officers and the elected officials.
I agree with David on this one (not sure if it is true he stood up for Ann Lilly, but if he did, he made the wrong call on that one). Basically, the driver (not Perez or Ordaz) became upset because someone honked at them and got out of the car. This was at 2:00 a.m. at a place known for people to go to after a night of drinking, so it stands to reason that many people there had been drinking, including the car that honked. The driver of the car Perez and Ordaz was in should not have gotten out of the car and started yelling at the other driver. This is really juvenile, but not illegal. The off-duty officers working security noticed the incident and tried to break it up before someone broke the law. Ordaz threw her, "do you know who I am" card, and the supervisor was called. Apparently the driver was not intoxicated and everyone went on their merry little way. Perez is noted as smelling of alcohol but he was not driving. Because they had been drinking, I can guess that they probably were nasty to the officers and twisted it around that the officers were unprofessional. Totally uncool but not illegal.
Nothing illegal happened, just something very juvenile and some people with over-inflated egos were involved.
Time to move on.
Posted by: Move on | May 13, 2016 at 09:24 AM
There's a lesson here for elected officials...take Uber.
Love,
Max
Posted by: Max Powers | May 13, 2016 at 10:36 AM
Uber - too funny Max.
It's typical of elected officials to believe they are god and above the law. Seen it on all levels of elected officials. DavidK never defended Ann Lilly over tree-gate. Not even sure he blogged about it. Either way - she got away with her threats.
Now KVIA has picked up the story. At a minimum I hope the media picks it to death. Ordaz deserves the same kind of treatment she has been dishing out to other council members and their staff.
Posted by: FedUp | May 13, 2016 at 01:18 PM
The more space the Times gives to soap opera like this, the less they cover real stories like how much the ball park is already costing the taxpayers or why Joyce Wilson delayed the bond sale. But such drama is popular and keeps people's attention directed away from real, long-term issues.
Posted by: abandon hope | May 14, 2016 at 06:26 AM
Abandon hope. Bread and circuses. It's not that Bob sold out so cheap. It's how fast he did it that's remarkable. You can buy a politician or a newspaper man for next to nothing in this town. No wonder Foster and Hunt et al love El Paso so much. They probably have to sit on their hands to keep from clapping all day.
Posted by: Be afraid | May 15, 2016 at 03:02 PM