Mayor Richard J. Berry Recognizes Albuquerque Police Officers
For Capturing Burglars

January 7, 2010

On Friday, Mayor Richard J. Berry recognized seven Albuquerque police officers who apprehended property crime offenders just moments after they had burglarized a vehicle. 

Officers Matthew Trahan, Isaac Maes, William Velasquez, Michael Shook, Travis Cochran, Bryan Price and Samantha Miles were named this week’s Friday’s Heroes.  Each week Mayor Richard J. Berry recognizes at least one public safety employee who goes above the call of duty.

On December 9, Officer Trahan was dispatched to a local uptown hotel on an auto-burglary in progress call.  Upon his arrival he noticed a vehicle matching the description of the suspect vehicle leaving the area.  Officer Trahan initiated a traffic stop and detained the subjects in the car until backup officers arrived.  He immediately noticed a large amount of property in the vehicle, including a tool box and a set of golf clubs.  Officer Maes arrived on scene to assist with the traffic stop.  Officer Velasquez was also dispatched and made contact with the victim of the theft who confirmed that the golf clubs, along with several other items, belonged to him.  Four offenders were arrested and charged with the auto burglary and conspiracy.

Knowing that the victims were out of town residents, Officer Trahan and Officer Shook went to great lengths to process the evidence quickly so that the St. Louis residents could continue on their travels.   They were able to return the property to the victims in a little more than an hour from the time the necessary search warrant was executed. 

Officers Cochran, Price and Miles also provided critical assistance on this case.  In the end, collectively, the officers responded to the call, located and booked the offenders, investigated the crime and processed the evidence within 4 hours of the initial dispatch. 

“This is further evidence that our APD officers place a very high priority on the apprehension of property crime offenders and they recognize the importance of protecting the public from these types of losses.  Their quick response and outstanding handling of this case reaffirms our message that Albuquerque is and continues to be a bad place to be a criminal,” said Mayor Berry.