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Summarized by Kent Larsen
New Mormon temple raises questions about county security
KOB-TV4 Albuquerque NM 23Feb00 D1
ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO -- The LDS Church's new Temple in
Albuquerque, New Mexico has raised security concerns for the rest of
Bernalillo county amid contentions that county police are
concentrating security patrols near the Temple, leaving other areas
of the county vulnerable.
LDS Church officials offered to pay overtime wages to the sherriff's
department for traffic and security help, but since the county
doesn't have an overtime program, the offer has apparently not been
accepted. The sherriff has assigned three on duty officers to work
outside the Temple and one detective to work inside during the
current open house.
This additional protection led Bruce Smith of the Sherriff's Deputy
Association to complain that other areas of the county are being
neglected, "They're tying up traffic accident investigators, tying up
detectives and lengthening cases. They're tying up detectives for
responding to calls which means the problem has to wait for another
deputy to clear the call."
The Temple's open house ends on Saturday.
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