Darren White resigns

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Amidst a mountain of controversy Albuquerque Public Safety Director, Darren White, has announced his decision to retire in a statement sent to Mayor Richard Berry.

White says his decision to retire was in an effort to “end distraction surrounding his wife’s recent accident.”

White’s wife, Kathleen crashed her car and hit a curb in Albuquerque’s Northeast Heights. White told officers that she was currently taking two types of prescription drugs, one of those being for anti-anxiety.

Darren White quickly appeared on the scene in his city vehicle.

According to a criminal complaint responding officers say White’s wife was acting strangely, saying her "her pupils were constricted, indicating possible opiates” after the crash.

Still, no drug tests were conducted and a drug recognition expert was not called out, as is common practice in driving under impairment, or DUI, cases.
 

The incident started a field day of rumors that White’s wife was given special treatment and that White acted inappropriately.
 

In White’s statement, which can be read below, White includes a check point list of why he is confident that an investigation will clear his name.

Governor Martinez recently appointed White to the Judicial Standards Commission. According to Scott Darnell of the Governor’s office, White has resigned from the commission as well.

A spokesperson with the Albuquerque police union says they are happy with White’s decision to step down and believe this will create room for APD Chief Ray Schultz to do his job.
 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                            

July 15, 2011

Statement from Darren White

Late this afternoon, the City of Albuquerque received the following statement from Darren White:

I am announcing my retirement today in order to end the distraction surrounding my wife’s recent accident and allow Mayor Richard Berry and city leaders to focus on the important issues the people of Albuquerque deserve to have addressed.

However, the investigation must move forward and I intend to work hard to clear my name and stand-up for my wife, whose medical condition was improperly made public through the illegal leaking of confidential medical records.   

Getting the truth out is very important to me and I am confident any investigation will show:

- I made it clear to the police officer that he was in charge of conducting any investigation and that I would not interfere.

- Nearly an hour after the accident and when it was clear that the scene investigation was complete, I took my wife to get medical attention. No one at the scene disagreed with that action.

- I did not take my wife to the hospital with lights and sirens on, nor did I violate any policy regarding the use of emergency equipment.

- My wife was diagnosed with a seizure by a neurologist at Presbyterian and was subsequently hospitalized for two days.

- No doctor, including my wife’s own physician, believe that the medical condition that caused the accident had anything to do with the medication she has been taking daily without complication for over a year.

- The speculation in the illegally leaked paramedic report that the symptoms might have been caused by “opiates” was conclusively disproved by a drug test administered at the hospital.

- We never would have released any of my wife’s personal medical history until we learned from the media that someone illegally leaked her confidential, and misleading, medical records to the press.

- The leaking of the paramedic’s report in this case broke federal and state laws.

I am very proud of my lifetime record of public service, beginning as a member of the 82nd Airborne in the US Army, continuing as a police officer, sheriff, and public safety administrator at both the state and local level.

I dedicated my life to public safety and hope I made a positive difference in my community. I feel honored to have worked with some of New Mexico’s finest public servants.  Our challenge is never easy and the circumstances often difficult, but we rise to the task every day.    I deeply appreciate having been given the honor to serve.