DIMS Costs Taxpayer Big Bucks$$$$$$

Let there be no mistake about it. DIMS costs the taxpayers big bucks and is totally unnecessary. Every year Esparza is at two, the City and the County, taxing entities asking for tax dollars to pay his employees to do what they are already hired to do. If one looks at the different DIMS contracts over the years, the City has been asked to pay $300,000 and up every year since 1995. After Esparza gets his money at the City, he then scurries over to the County to ask for hundreds of thousands of more, pointing out that the City gave him money and since the City gave him money so should they.

Esparza always uses the same drone arguments to get our money. He says that DIMS is, yes, believe it or not, money saving! Now Esparza has no reports or accountant sheets to back up this assertion, but never mind that. Afterall, which city representative or county commissioner is even going to ask? When asked in deposition for financials proving that DIMS saves money, Esparza can produce none. But he figures the voting public will never find out about what goes on in these depositions and about all of the wild things he says in them.

Here is what Esparza does not want you to know. The City has always paid for magistrates to be available around the clock. There is always one down at the municipal court house at night, plus there are various sprinkled throughout the city. These magistrates are for the use of all law enforcement making arrests, Sheriff's office, DPS, Socorro PD, Anthony PD, EPPD, etc. Now Esparza is telling the community we will have to pay for magistrates as though this were a new cost and as though we would not have to if we continue with DIMS. We should ask him how we can do away with magistrates when only EPPD pays for the privilege of bypassing them by using DIMS. Where will the other law enforcement agencies go? And of course that would be assuming we are ready to do away with judges in this community like he wants us to do. Esparza says DIMS will save us the cost of the magistrate, yet another falsehood. Since EPPD is one of the only agencies to use DIMS, the magistrates are there no matter what. Secondly, the law requires magistrates. The law does not require DIMS attorneys. So who is costing us money?

But since DIMS gives Esparza the power to pass out "Who Goes to Jail Cards" and "Who Does Not Go to Jail Cards," he'll tell you whatever it takes to keep that power. Esparza is not called Pinnochio for nothing.

Comments

Posted by Jose  
on March 27, 2007, 8:06 am
Great post Teresa! Could you tell us about the guy that Jaime has to try again? I think his name is Renteria. Why do we have to pay to try him again?

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Posted by XADA  
on March 27, 2007, 11:21 am
Yes, DIMS is all about money. Not saving it though. It's a way for Jaime to buy the loyalty of his ADA's by putting a few more bucks in their pockets (they're paid cash to work each DIMS shift). It's just another source of power for Jaime.

And any "savings" from DIMS have surely been outweighed by the cost of defending the county against the various lawsuits that have been filed by DIMS-victims.

DIMS was never a good idea. It's never saved any money. It's time to put an end to it.

Reply to this comment
Posted by theresa  
on March 28, 2007, 7:00 am
Dear Jose and XADA,

Renteria does have to be tried again b/c Jaime made a mess of it. I will be blogging on that disaster in the near future. And of course the taxpayer gets to pick up the tab for Jaime's sloth and ineptitude, not to mention the suffering of the families involved having to relive another trial.

As for the millions of dollars the taxpayer has paid for DIMS and the lawsuits it has produced, Jaime could care less b/c it is all about power for him. He tells the taxpayer that is saves us money b/c doesn't that sound good? Who cares about the truth of it. That has always been his M.O.

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