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Albuquerque taxpayers continue to pay for the actions of a police officer who remains on the force thanks to a questionable decision by the Albuquerque Personnel Board.

In November, the board reversed Albuquerque Police Chief Gorden Eden’s 2014 decision to fire officer Jeremy Dear. Voting to keep Dear were Marie Julienne and Zane Reeves, who represent labor, and Chairman Lee Peifer, who was selected by the board. Voting against were management appointees Christopher Holland and Thomas Manning.

Also in November, the city paid Dennis Shoemaker $90,000 to settle a lawsuit accusing Dear of using excessive force in 2013 when Dear and another officer were breaking up a Downtown fight. Shoemaker alleged Dear pushed him to the ground. He claimed the officer got on top of him and repeatedly struck him in the face. Shoemaker was arrested on suspicion of battery on a police officer, but the charges were dismissed.

In April 2014, Dear shot and killed 19-year-old alleged car thief Mary Hawkes, who Dear claimed pointed a gun at him. However, Dear’s lapel camera was unplugged so there was no recording of that incident.

The shooting occurred shortly after the U.S. Department of Justice had concluded APD had a pattern and practice of violating people’s rights by using excessive force. And reforms were headed APD’s way.

When Eden fired Dear, he said it was for insubordination, untruthfulness and not abiding by an administrative order to record all encounters with citizens after Dear was involved in several other use-of-force cases in which there were no recordings.