"Albany Council discusses police reform legislation - Police chief, mayor react to audit that suggest bias within city police department"
Steve Hughes, Albany, New York Times Union
Nov. 5, 2020
ALBANY – The Common Council’s public safety committee discussed legislation Thursday that would improve the police department’s data collection efforts around traffic stops, the day after an external audit said the lack of that data made it hard to tell if bias plays in how the department operates.
The legislation requires the department to publish the data annually, broken down by ward and by month.
“It’s a pretty sensible piece of legislation, it’s an opportunity for us to build data and make data-based decisions on trainings and other issues and concerns,” said Councilman Alfredo Balarin.
After more than two hours input from the department and residents, the committee tabled the legislation and two other proposed police reforms for amendments and further discussion.
The audit done by CNA, a nonprofit research and analysis organization, found that Black residents made up roughly 65 percent of both arrests and traffic stops that ended in arrests.
It stopped short of blaming the discrepancies on bias within the department or among individual officers, noting that a combination how the department collects information and the lack of information on individual police stops made it impossible to determine the exact cause of the disparities.
Instead, the report concludes the city should investigate further.
“Without details about the circumstances of the arrests, we cannot say with certainty that this difference is entirely the result of race or bias, but these results are suggestive of those possibilities,” the draft states.
Among other findings, the audit also showed that Black residents are more likely to be charged with resisting arrest, have force used against them and file civil rights complaints against the city.
On Thursday, Chief Eric Hawkins said that while he saw opportunities within the audit, he believed some of the data that showed a disparate impact on Black residents needed more context.
Hawkins said he wasn’t sure why auditors lacked some of the information to further contextualize the data, as he believed it was available.
“If we sit down and we look at this together and understand some of the context around these interactions, I think we can make some progress,” he said.
Hawkins noted that the department’s calls for service often come from neighborhoods that are majority Black.
“And so, its just natural, its just inevitable that we’ll have more contact with the people in those areas because we have more resources there, regardless of race,” he said.
Hawkins said he disagreed with other parts of the audit, including the portion that questioned the department’s implementation of community policing.
Alice Green, executive director for the Center for Law and Justice, said the audit confirmed a 2012 report by the center that described the disproportionate impact of policing on people of color.
“We’re happy to see that they did affirm what we’ve been saying for so long,” she said.
“These are things that we’ve known for so long; from arrests, charges of resisting arrest and police use of force.”
Green added she was still reviewing the entire audit but hoped that it would lead the city to directly confront the potential of systemic racism within the department.
“Regardless of whether or not individual officers harbor racial biases, the department’s policies and procedures along with the whole culture of the Albany police department promote inequitable treatment of Blacks,” she said.
In a statement, Mayor Kathy Sheehan said the audit would help the city’s Policing Reform and Reinvention Collaborative as it drafts recommendations to eliminate bias and its impact on people of color.
“It also recognizes the fact that the Albany Police Department has made considerable strides to embrace 21st century policing practices and community policing philosophies, and that there is more work to be done,” she said.
City Auditor Dorcey Appylrs hired the firm in August for $80,000 as part of a larger city review of its police department and its policies.
That review is required by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's executive order that says municipalities must do comprehensive reviews of their police departments and develop plans to reform them.
The audit’s 62 findings and accompanying recommendations are expected to provide the city with a baseline of information as part of the reform process.
Over the next week, auditors will collect comments from the public before the final version is released through Applyrs.
Auditors will then present their findings in a series of meetings.
Community members can submit their comments to smartjustice@cna.org through Nov. 13.
https://www.timesunion.com/news/article ... 705559.php
THE YOUNG ANDY CUOMO CHRONICLES
Re: THE YOUNG ANDY CUOMO CHRONICLES
"Activists urge city to take stronger stance on police reform"
Steve Hughes, Albany, New York Times Union
Nov. 6, 2020
ALBANY -- Dozens of residents and activists spoke out about their concerns with the city’s police reform process Friday night.
Standing on the sidewalk on Second Street outside of VanRennselaer Park in Arbor Hill, they said the city’s plan moved too slowly and that they did not believe it would bring about meaningful change in how the police department and community members viewed each other.
The entire way the city approaches policing has to be changed, said organizer Shawn Young, co-founder of All of Us.
“It’s about transformation, it’s about tearing down what we have now and building something better,” he said.
Speakers called on the city to re-allocate funds from the police department and use them to address issues like mental health, poverty and programming for children.
Tom Mueller, an Albany resident, said he wanted to know why the people selected to oversee the reform process didn’t reflect the community and why the city couldn’t find funding to ensure more opportunities for children.
“We're not all out here on a Friday night because we have nothing to do."
"We are tired of the racist practices that are overtaking our city."
"We are tired of our children having to walk outside their doors and deal with violence,” he said.
The demonstration, which activists termed a speak-out, was meant to be a community-based response to the city’s the Albany Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative, a 40-member group that was organized after Gov. Andrew Cuomo mandated that local governments develop police reform proposals or risk losing state funding.
Their concerns are that the city’s process isn’t as transparent or inclusive as they want.
Organizers called the event a forum, rather than a demonstration, in hope of avoiding a police presence in case anyone is uncomfortable speaking in front of officers.
The collaborative's meetings are held weekly and streamed via Zoom and Facebook.
But some city residents struggle with enough internet access or cell phone data to join them on a consistent basis, activists said.
The city said it welcomed the speak-out and any information that came from it that might help the collaborative.
The reinvention collaborative is now broken up into several working groups, which are examining issues like police operating procedures.
Another complaint that reformers and activists have levied is that the police department has representatives on each working group.
Their concern is that having a police presence in every group will stifle voices that want to describe their interactions with city police but don’t feel comfortable doing so in front of officers.
The city believes the department deserves a voice in order to encourage buy-in from the officers that will have to work under any proposed reforms.
Steve is the Times Union's morning cop reporter. He's previously reported for papers in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Utica and Cortland. Originally from Syracuse, he's a 2010 graduate from SUNY Geneseo. Reach him at (518) 454-5438.
https://www.timesunion.com/news/article ... 708113.php
Steve Hughes, Albany, New York Times Union
Nov. 6, 2020
ALBANY -- Dozens of residents and activists spoke out about their concerns with the city’s police reform process Friday night.
Standing on the sidewalk on Second Street outside of VanRennselaer Park in Arbor Hill, they said the city’s plan moved too slowly and that they did not believe it would bring about meaningful change in how the police department and community members viewed each other.
The entire way the city approaches policing has to be changed, said organizer Shawn Young, co-founder of All of Us.
“It’s about transformation, it’s about tearing down what we have now and building something better,” he said.
Speakers called on the city to re-allocate funds from the police department and use them to address issues like mental health, poverty and programming for children.
Tom Mueller, an Albany resident, said he wanted to know why the people selected to oversee the reform process didn’t reflect the community and why the city couldn’t find funding to ensure more opportunities for children.
“We're not all out here on a Friday night because we have nothing to do."
"We are tired of the racist practices that are overtaking our city."
"We are tired of our children having to walk outside their doors and deal with violence,” he said.
The demonstration, which activists termed a speak-out, was meant to be a community-based response to the city’s the Albany Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative, a 40-member group that was organized after Gov. Andrew Cuomo mandated that local governments develop police reform proposals or risk losing state funding.
Their concerns are that the city’s process isn’t as transparent or inclusive as they want.
Organizers called the event a forum, rather than a demonstration, in hope of avoiding a police presence in case anyone is uncomfortable speaking in front of officers.
The collaborative's meetings are held weekly and streamed via Zoom and Facebook.
But some city residents struggle with enough internet access or cell phone data to join them on a consistent basis, activists said.
The city said it welcomed the speak-out and any information that came from it that might help the collaborative.
The reinvention collaborative is now broken up into several working groups, which are examining issues like police operating procedures.
Another complaint that reformers and activists have levied is that the police department has representatives on each working group.
Their concern is that having a police presence in every group will stifle voices that want to describe their interactions with city police but don’t feel comfortable doing so in front of officers.
The city believes the department deserves a voice in order to encourage buy-in from the officers that will have to work under any proposed reforms.
Steve is the Times Union's morning cop reporter. He's previously reported for papers in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Utica and Cortland. Originally from Syracuse, he's a 2010 graduate from SUNY Geneseo. Reach him at (518) 454-5438.
https://www.timesunion.com/news/article ... 708113.php
Re: THE YOUNG ANDY CUOMO CHRONICLES
17 August 2020
Dear Chief Executives, Police Chiefs, and Sheriffs:
Many communities all across the country are dealing with issues concerning their police departments.
The millions of people who gathered in protest, even in the midst of a public health crisis, made that clear.
The situation is unsustainable for all.
Maintaining public safety is imperative; it is one of the essential roles of government.
In order to achieve that goal, there must be mutual trust and respect between police and the communities they serve.
The success and safety of our society depends on restoring and strengthening mutual trust.
With crime growing in many cities, we must seize this moment of crisis and turn it into an opportunity for transformation.
While the conflict is real and the issues are complicated, we know in New York that denial or avoidance is not a successful strategy.
To that end, on June 12, 2020, I signed an Executive Order requiring each local government in the State to adopt a policing reform plan by April 1, 2021.
The Order authorizes the Director of the Division of the Budget to condition State aid to localities on the adoption of such a plan.
To ensure these plans are developed through an inclusive process, I called for the New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative.
With more than 500 law enforcement agencies in our large and diverse state, there is no "one size fits all" solution.
To rebuild the police-community relationship, each local government must convene stakeholders for a fact-based and honest dialogue about the public safety needs of their community.
Each community must envision for itself the appropriate role of the police.
Policies must be developed to allow the police to do their jobs to protect the public and these policies must meet with the local communities' acceptance.
"Collaborative" is the key word.
It would be a mistake to frame these discussions as an adversarial process or an effort to impose top-down solutions.
Issues must be aired but solutions must be crafted.
The collaborative process should:
* Review the needs of the community served by its police agency, and evaluate the department's current policies and practices;
* Establish policies that allow police to effectively and safely perform their duties;
* Involve the entire community in the discussion;
* Develop policy recommendations resulting from this review;
* Offer a plan for public comment;
* Present the plan to the local legislative body to ratify or adopt it, and;
* Certify adoption of the plan to the State Budget Director on or before April 1, 2021.
I urge everyone to begin these discussions immediately.
Restoring the relationship between the community and the police is in everyone's best interest, and conversation may be required to enable each stakeholder to understand others' points of view.
Time is short.
Local elected officials are the natural position to convene the process.
If the local electeds are unable or unwilling to manage the collaborative, the state can select an appropriate convener for that jurisdiction.
Change is hard.
But change is necessary if we are to grow.
The tension must be resolved.
Order and public safety must be ensured.
I am excited by the possibilities and I am hopeful that this time of crisis will evolve into a moment of creativity and progress.
It is normal to make adjustments to fit changing values and circumstances.
We are addressing the COVID crisis by acknowledging the problem, having productive dialogue and by working together.
Let's do the same here.
This is an opportunity to reinvent law enforcement for the 21st century.
- Andy Cuomo, Governor of New York State
https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/govern ... -modernize
Dear Chief Executives, Police Chiefs, and Sheriffs:
Many communities all across the country are dealing with issues concerning their police departments.
The millions of people who gathered in protest, even in the midst of a public health crisis, made that clear.
The situation is unsustainable for all.
Maintaining public safety is imperative; it is one of the essential roles of government.
In order to achieve that goal, there must be mutual trust and respect between police and the communities they serve.
The success and safety of our society depends on restoring and strengthening mutual trust.
With crime growing in many cities, we must seize this moment of crisis and turn it into an opportunity for transformation.
While the conflict is real and the issues are complicated, we know in New York that denial or avoidance is not a successful strategy.
To that end, on June 12, 2020, I signed an Executive Order requiring each local government in the State to adopt a policing reform plan by April 1, 2021.
The Order authorizes the Director of the Division of the Budget to condition State aid to localities on the adoption of such a plan.
To ensure these plans are developed through an inclusive process, I called for the New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative.
With more than 500 law enforcement agencies in our large and diverse state, there is no "one size fits all" solution.
To rebuild the police-community relationship, each local government must convene stakeholders for a fact-based and honest dialogue about the public safety needs of their community.
Each community must envision for itself the appropriate role of the police.
Policies must be developed to allow the police to do their jobs to protect the public and these policies must meet with the local communities' acceptance.
"Collaborative" is the key word.
It would be a mistake to frame these discussions as an adversarial process or an effort to impose top-down solutions.
Issues must be aired but solutions must be crafted.
The collaborative process should:
* Review the needs of the community served by its police agency, and evaluate the department's current policies and practices;
* Establish policies that allow police to effectively and safely perform their duties;
* Involve the entire community in the discussion;
* Develop policy recommendations resulting from this review;
* Offer a plan for public comment;
* Present the plan to the local legislative body to ratify or adopt it, and;
* Certify adoption of the plan to the State Budget Director on or before April 1, 2021.
I urge everyone to begin these discussions immediately.
Restoring the relationship between the community and the police is in everyone's best interest, and conversation may be required to enable each stakeholder to understand others' points of view.
Time is short.
Local elected officials are the natural position to convene the process.
If the local electeds are unable or unwilling to manage the collaborative, the state can select an appropriate convener for that jurisdiction.
Change is hard.
But change is necessary if we are to grow.
The tension must be resolved.
Order and public safety must be ensured.
I am excited by the possibilities and I am hopeful that this time of crisis will evolve into a moment of creativity and progress.
It is normal to make adjustments to fit changing values and circumstances.
We are addressing the COVID crisis by acknowledging the problem, having productive dialogue and by working together.
Let's do the same here.
This is an opportunity to reinvent law enforcement for the 21st century.
- Andy Cuomo, Governor of New York State
https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/govern ... -modernize
Re: THE YOUNG ANDY CUOMO CHRONICLES
"Editorial: Working toward justice"
the Times Union Editorial Board
Nov. 8, 2020
Updated: Nov. 8, 2020 7:31 p.m.
The external audit, commissioned in compliance with Gov. Andrew Cuomo's executive order mandating police department reviews, found Black residents are much more likely to be arrested than white residents.
Though less than a third of Albany's residents are Black, they comprised 64 percent of all arrests from 2015-2019.
They're also more likely to be charged with resisting arrest and have force used against them.
This is consistent with other reporting about the APD.
The New York Civil Liberties Union found Black drivers in Albany are much more likely to be stopped by police.
And Black residents comprise 97 percent of low-level marijuana arrests.
Are these disproportionate actions the result of bias?
That's the question auditors could not answer.
City record-keeping made it difficult to tell, they said; in some cases, they needed more information about the circumstances of the arrests, and with some traffic stops, race wasn't recorded.
So the next steps are clear: for the city to follow up, and to require police to note race in traffic stop records.
Transparency builds trust, and data helps leaders define their goals of a just, fair, and safe community that works for everyone.
https://www.timesunion.com/opinion/arti ... 09a3f12c1f
the Times Union Editorial Board
Nov. 8, 2020
Updated: Nov. 8, 2020 7:31 p.m.
The external audit, commissioned in compliance with Gov. Andrew Cuomo's executive order mandating police department reviews, found Black residents are much more likely to be arrested than white residents.
Though less than a third of Albany's residents are Black, they comprised 64 percent of all arrests from 2015-2019.
They're also more likely to be charged with resisting arrest and have force used against them.
This is consistent with other reporting about the APD.
The New York Civil Liberties Union found Black drivers in Albany are much more likely to be stopped by police.
And Black residents comprise 97 percent of low-level marijuana arrests.
Are these disproportionate actions the result of bias?
That's the question auditors could not answer.
City record-keeping made it difficult to tell, they said; in some cases, they needed more information about the circumstances of the arrests, and with some traffic stops, race wasn't recorded.
So the next steps are clear: for the city to follow up, and to require police to note race in traffic stop records.
Transparency builds trust, and data helps leaders define their goals of a just, fair, and safe community that works for everyone.
https://www.timesunion.com/opinion/arti ... 09a3f12c1f
Re: THE YOUNG ANDY CUOMO CHRONICLES
THE CAPE CHARLES MIRROR November 13, 2020 at 10:44 pm
Paul Plante says:
“Look, they’re good people!”
That’s probably what a white cop in Democrat Kathy Sheehan’s sanctuary city of Albany, New York, where a large intimidating BLACK LIVES MATTER banner over the entrance to city hall in that city makes it clear, like a gang symbol, whose turf you are on in that city, who just got his *** suspended for being a “racist” is saying to himself today as what he should have said instead the other day, as we see from the Albany, New York Times Union article “Albany officer suspended for racist remarks caught on camera; Called Black people ‘the worst … race’; chief denounces recording as ‘shocking and appalling'” by Steve Hughes on Nov. 12, 2020, where we have the details, as follows:
ALBANY – A city police officer was suspended without pay after an Albany County sheriff deputy’s body camera recorded him calling Black people “the worst f__ing race.”
end quotes
Now, what is truly ironic here is that this suspended Albany police officer is not saying anything that Candace Amber Farmer (née Owens; born April 29, 1989), who is Black and an American conservative author, commentator, and political activist known for her criticism of Black Lives Matter, is also saying, which takes us back to that story as follows:
David W. Haupt, who joined the force in 2016, was suspended for 30 days on Wednesday after the Albany County district attorney’s office turned the footage over to the department late Tuesday evening.
Chief Eric Hawkins, who took over the department in 2018, described Haupt’s comments as some of the most “shocking and appalling” he had heard in his 30 years in law enforcement.
end quotes
And quite truthfully, that sounds like melodramatic bull**** coming from the chief there, who is Black, because if one listens to Candace Owns, who is Black, one realizes that there is nothing either shocking or appalling about what the cop said, but the chief, who has already taken the knee in submission to BLACK LIVES MATTER along with Mayor Kathy, is an actor on a stage here, and so he has to ham it up for his BLACK LIVES MATTER handlers if he wants to keep his job by acting as if he has never heard that before, which takes us back to the story for more as follows:
“It’s inappropriate; it does not reflect the values of the men and women in this department,” he said.
end quotes
And that is more bull****, because what that cop said does in fact reflect what a lot of people are thinking as they watch the black-on-black carnage the savages in Albany are perpetrating on each other and are appalled by it, as they should be.
Getting back to the story, it continues as follows:
The unnamed deputy and Haupt are pumping gas into the police officer’s patrol car.
The sheriff’s department began placing deputies in city police patrol cars earlier this year to help support the department as it dealt with a historically violent year in which more than 120 people have been shot.
The deputy’s body camera appears to have been accidentally activated in the middle of their conversation.
“Literally it does get old,” the deputy says on the recording, “because literally every day, it’s not like it’s an overwhelming 50-percent-to-50-percent shot where you get a call and they’re like, ‘Yeah, a white male — ,’ or, you know what I mean.”
end quotes
And here is where the Albany cop should have stepped in and said, “Look, they’re good people, good people, stop right now saying bad things about them because they’re good people and I don’t want to hear any more bad things said about them.”
Then things would have been alright if he had praised the savages who had committed those more than 120 shootings in mayor Kathy’s sanctuary city of Albany, New York, where if you are a criminal, you’ll find both sanctuary and solace, not having to fear the police, who mayor Kathy keeps on a very tight leash, so the criminals in her sanctuary city will feel safe from harm, but he didn’t and there is where he went wrong, as we see by going back to the story, as follows:
Haupt replies, “My buddies listen to the scanner and they send me texts all the time, and they go, ‘Is the suspect ever a white male?’ and I go ‘No.’”
“I know it sounds terrible to say, but I don’t give a f__ what anybody says, I sincerely don’t.”
“Because bro, they are the worst f__ing race and I don’t — you can’t deny, like, over the last X amount of months, they are — you know because we work together — they are getting worse and worse, and people are defending that.”
“Are you f__ing kidding me?”
end quotes
Candace Owens, who is Black, says the same thing about things are getting “worse and worse,” which they clearly are in mayor Kathy’s lawless sanctuary city of Albany, New York and “people are defending that.”
Things in the sanctuary city of Albany, New York where this cop just got suspended for speaking the truth as he sees it, are indeed getting worse and worse because mayor Kathy is ham-stringing the police in that city and is rendering them neuter in her own bid to stay on the right side of her BLACK LIVES MATTER controllers so they won’t burn down her city in retaliation if she doesn’t kneel to them and truckle, which takes us back to the story for more, as follows:
Mayor Kathy Sheehan said she learned of the incident Wednesday evening and saw the footage Thursday.
She called Haupt’s remarks “blatantly racist,” and that she expects the investigation to result in his termination.
“As mayor, I wanted to ensure that this individual was not on the job until we have an understanding of what occurred here,” Sheehan said.
“And that statement in and of itself can be construed no other way that being a racist statement that does not reflect the values of the Albany Police Department.”
end quotes
Which under her administration means the values of the Albany Police Department dictate that the white cops should be subservient and coddle the savages committing all those shootings and when asked, only say very nice things about them, like “They’re good people, good people all of them, and I don’t want to hear any different.”
Then they will know their jobs are safe and mayor Kathy won’t fire them for daring to speak the truth as they see it.
And that is life today in a time of BLACK LIVES MATTER, while no other ones do, at all.
Welcome to the New World Order!
And if you value your life, stay the hell out of mayor Kathy’s violent sanctuary city of Albany, New York.
http://www.capecharlesmirror.com/news/b ... ent-299607
Paul Plante says:
“Look, they’re good people!”
That’s probably what a white cop in Democrat Kathy Sheehan’s sanctuary city of Albany, New York, where a large intimidating BLACK LIVES MATTER banner over the entrance to city hall in that city makes it clear, like a gang symbol, whose turf you are on in that city, who just got his *** suspended for being a “racist” is saying to himself today as what he should have said instead the other day, as we see from the Albany, New York Times Union article “Albany officer suspended for racist remarks caught on camera; Called Black people ‘the worst … race’; chief denounces recording as ‘shocking and appalling'” by Steve Hughes on Nov. 12, 2020, where we have the details, as follows:
ALBANY – A city police officer was suspended without pay after an Albany County sheriff deputy’s body camera recorded him calling Black people “the worst f__ing race.”
end quotes
Now, what is truly ironic here is that this suspended Albany police officer is not saying anything that Candace Amber Farmer (née Owens; born April 29, 1989), who is Black and an American conservative author, commentator, and political activist known for her criticism of Black Lives Matter, is also saying, which takes us back to that story as follows:
David W. Haupt, who joined the force in 2016, was suspended for 30 days on Wednesday after the Albany County district attorney’s office turned the footage over to the department late Tuesday evening.
Chief Eric Hawkins, who took over the department in 2018, described Haupt’s comments as some of the most “shocking and appalling” he had heard in his 30 years in law enforcement.
end quotes
And quite truthfully, that sounds like melodramatic bull**** coming from the chief there, who is Black, because if one listens to Candace Owns, who is Black, one realizes that there is nothing either shocking or appalling about what the cop said, but the chief, who has already taken the knee in submission to BLACK LIVES MATTER along with Mayor Kathy, is an actor on a stage here, and so he has to ham it up for his BLACK LIVES MATTER handlers if he wants to keep his job by acting as if he has never heard that before, which takes us back to the story for more as follows:
“It’s inappropriate; it does not reflect the values of the men and women in this department,” he said.
end quotes
And that is more bull****, because what that cop said does in fact reflect what a lot of people are thinking as they watch the black-on-black carnage the savages in Albany are perpetrating on each other and are appalled by it, as they should be.
Getting back to the story, it continues as follows:
The unnamed deputy and Haupt are pumping gas into the police officer’s patrol car.
The sheriff’s department began placing deputies in city police patrol cars earlier this year to help support the department as it dealt with a historically violent year in which more than 120 people have been shot.
The deputy’s body camera appears to have been accidentally activated in the middle of their conversation.
“Literally it does get old,” the deputy says on the recording, “because literally every day, it’s not like it’s an overwhelming 50-percent-to-50-percent shot where you get a call and they’re like, ‘Yeah, a white male — ,’ or, you know what I mean.”
end quotes
And here is where the Albany cop should have stepped in and said, “Look, they’re good people, good people, stop right now saying bad things about them because they’re good people and I don’t want to hear any more bad things said about them.”
Then things would have been alright if he had praised the savages who had committed those more than 120 shootings in mayor Kathy’s sanctuary city of Albany, New York, where if you are a criminal, you’ll find both sanctuary and solace, not having to fear the police, who mayor Kathy keeps on a very tight leash, so the criminals in her sanctuary city will feel safe from harm, but he didn’t and there is where he went wrong, as we see by going back to the story, as follows:
Haupt replies, “My buddies listen to the scanner and they send me texts all the time, and they go, ‘Is the suspect ever a white male?’ and I go ‘No.’”
“I know it sounds terrible to say, but I don’t give a f__ what anybody says, I sincerely don’t.”
“Because bro, they are the worst f__ing race and I don’t — you can’t deny, like, over the last X amount of months, they are — you know because we work together — they are getting worse and worse, and people are defending that.”
“Are you f__ing kidding me?”
end quotes
Candace Owens, who is Black, says the same thing about things are getting “worse and worse,” which they clearly are in mayor Kathy’s lawless sanctuary city of Albany, New York and “people are defending that.”
Things in the sanctuary city of Albany, New York where this cop just got suspended for speaking the truth as he sees it, are indeed getting worse and worse because mayor Kathy is ham-stringing the police in that city and is rendering them neuter in her own bid to stay on the right side of her BLACK LIVES MATTER controllers so they won’t burn down her city in retaliation if she doesn’t kneel to them and truckle, which takes us back to the story for more, as follows:
Mayor Kathy Sheehan said she learned of the incident Wednesday evening and saw the footage Thursday.
She called Haupt’s remarks “blatantly racist,” and that she expects the investigation to result in his termination.
“As mayor, I wanted to ensure that this individual was not on the job until we have an understanding of what occurred here,” Sheehan said.
“And that statement in and of itself can be construed no other way that being a racist statement that does not reflect the values of the Albany Police Department.”
end quotes
Which under her administration means the values of the Albany Police Department dictate that the white cops should be subservient and coddle the savages committing all those shootings and when asked, only say very nice things about them, like “They’re good people, good people all of them, and I don’t want to hear any different.”
Then they will know their jobs are safe and mayor Kathy won’t fire them for daring to speak the truth as they see it.
And that is life today in a time of BLACK LIVES MATTER, while no other ones do, at all.
Welcome to the New World Order!
And if you value your life, stay the hell out of mayor Kathy’s violent sanctuary city of Albany, New York.
http://www.capecharlesmirror.com/news/b ... ent-299607
Re: THE YOUNG ANDY CUOMO CHRONICLES
THE CAPE CHARLES MIRROR November 14, 2020 at 9:59 pm
Paul Plante says:
And staying with what can only be called yet more BLACK LIVES MATTER bull**** intruding further into our lives, where a violent minority segment of society spouting Marxist horse**** from the Communist Manifesto is dictating to the majority how we must think, this now coming to us from the Black police chief of the lawless, violent Democrat-controlled sanctuary city of Albany, New York under mayor Kathy Sheehan, both of whom take the knee to and grovel to BLACK LIVES MATTER as their master, let’s go to the Albany, New York Times Union article “Albany plans to fire officer over racist rant; releases video of remarks – But termination of Officer Daniel Haupt could take months under New York’s arbitration process” by Steve Hughes on Nov. 13, 2020 where we have as follows:
ALBANY – As the police department released video of the officer’s racist remarks, the police chief took steps Friday to fire the patrolman who was caught on tape calling Black people “the worst f__ing race.”
The department released the video Friday afternoon after refusing to disclose it when the Times Union on Thursday published a transcript of Haupt’s comments to an Albany County sheriff’s deputy.
Police Chief Eric Hawkins said there was no place in society or in police departments for Haupt’s remarks.
end quotes
No place in society for Haupt’s remarks?
Oh, really, chief.
And there you are dead wrong, chief, because one, you don’t tell society what it is we should be thinking, this not being a police state where we are told what we can think or say by a Black police chief who made a mockery of his badge, his oath and the law the day he got down on his knees and groveled to BLACK LIVES MATTER; and two, what there is no place in civilized society for is this endless Black violence committed by these lawless savages that mayor Kathy of Albany wants coddled and cuddled and caressed by her police; violence that day after day after day all of us who obey the law and have law-abiding, stable nuclear families these savages want to disrupt to take us back to the primitive state of barbarism and tribalism they are stuck in, while the rest of civilization has advanced into a more modern age these savages are trying to dismantle, have to witness and wonder why.
That is what there is no place in society for, and we, the people, who don’t commit these senseless acts of violence these savages do resent being told otherwise, just as we resent this police officer being fired for expressing his thoughts about the world he is forced to have to deal with day after day after day – a world where an escalation of violence by these savages who act like ravening beasts has left more than 120 people shot and 16 dead in Kathy Sheehan’s lawless sanctuary city of Albany, New York where the criminals are coddled and their victims can go to hell, because in the scheme of things in Albany, New York, they don’t count for anything – just some collateral damage is all, nothing to see here, folks, everybody go back home and get down in your basements and don’t dare to think any bad thoughts about these savages destroying civilized society in Albany, New York.
And going back to the comments of this police officer the chief is going to fire, a police officer who is quite obviously and rightfully totally disgusted, as are the majority of us, with what he has to confront each day of his life in Kathy Sheehan’s lawless and violent sanctuary city of Albany, New York where the police officers are expected to, and now required to coddle the criminals, not protect their victims from them, that this police chief who gets down on his knees in submission to BLACK LIVES MATTER and their Marxist agenda says have no place in society, which is horse****, they are as follows:
The deputy’s body camera appears to have been accidentally activated in the middle of their conversation and starts recording as the deputy complains that that majority of their calls involve Black residents.
Haupt replies, “My buddies listen to the scanner and they send me texts all the time, and they go, ‘Is the suspect ever a white male?’ and I go ‘No.’”
“I know it sounds terrible to say, but I don’t give a f__ what anybody says, I sincerely don’t.”
“Because bro, they are the worst f__ing race and I don’t — you can’t deny, like, over the last X amount of months, they are — you know because we work together — they are getting worse and worse, and people are defending that.”
“Are you f__ing kidding me?”
end quotes
People are defending the violence and those who commit the violence, and those people who are doing that defending are mayor Kathy Sheehan and her Black police chief, Eric Hawkins, who is fast becoming the best friend a violent criminal in the city of Albany could have, and this police officer, whose life is put in jeopardy each time he has to confront those lawless savages, has every right as an American citizen to express his disgust with that situation, where police are expected to be nice to the savages and respect their feelings and be sensitive to their needs as savages as opposed to upholding law and order, which does not exist in Albany, New York, thanks to Kathy Sheehan and Eric Hawkins, who is more interested in imposing and enforcing thought control on civilized society in Albany, New York than he is on enforcing the law and keeping people safe from the violent savages that Kathy Sheehan wants coddled in her city so they don’t feel bad about themselves.
All in all some pretty incredible stuff when a police chief in Albany, New York who takes the knee to BLACK LIVES MATTER now thinks he can tell society how it is that we have to think, and for the record, I’m standing with this police officer who is sick and tired of putting his life and future in jeopardy in Albany, New York, and I sincerely hope he fights his firing to the max by standing up to this police chief who is on the side of the lawless savages, not law and order and who has proven himself not worthy of wearing the badge in what is the capital city of the state of New York.
http://www.capecharlesmirror.com/news/b ... ent-299892
Paul Plante says:
And staying with what can only be called yet more BLACK LIVES MATTER bull**** intruding further into our lives, where a violent minority segment of society spouting Marxist horse**** from the Communist Manifesto is dictating to the majority how we must think, this now coming to us from the Black police chief of the lawless, violent Democrat-controlled sanctuary city of Albany, New York under mayor Kathy Sheehan, both of whom take the knee to and grovel to BLACK LIVES MATTER as their master, let’s go to the Albany, New York Times Union article “Albany plans to fire officer over racist rant; releases video of remarks – But termination of Officer Daniel Haupt could take months under New York’s arbitration process” by Steve Hughes on Nov. 13, 2020 where we have as follows:
ALBANY – As the police department released video of the officer’s racist remarks, the police chief took steps Friday to fire the patrolman who was caught on tape calling Black people “the worst f__ing race.”
The department released the video Friday afternoon after refusing to disclose it when the Times Union on Thursday published a transcript of Haupt’s comments to an Albany County sheriff’s deputy.
Police Chief Eric Hawkins said there was no place in society or in police departments for Haupt’s remarks.
end quotes
No place in society for Haupt’s remarks?
Oh, really, chief.
And there you are dead wrong, chief, because one, you don’t tell society what it is we should be thinking, this not being a police state where we are told what we can think or say by a Black police chief who made a mockery of his badge, his oath and the law the day he got down on his knees and groveled to BLACK LIVES MATTER; and two, what there is no place in civilized society for is this endless Black violence committed by these lawless savages that mayor Kathy of Albany wants coddled and cuddled and caressed by her police; violence that day after day after day all of us who obey the law and have law-abiding, stable nuclear families these savages want to disrupt to take us back to the primitive state of barbarism and tribalism they are stuck in, while the rest of civilization has advanced into a more modern age these savages are trying to dismantle, have to witness and wonder why.
That is what there is no place in society for, and we, the people, who don’t commit these senseless acts of violence these savages do resent being told otherwise, just as we resent this police officer being fired for expressing his thoughts about the world he is forced to have to deal with day after day after day – a world where an escalation of violence by these savages who act like ravening beasts has left more than 120 people shot and 16 dead in Kathy Sheehan’s lawless sanctuary city of Albany, New York where the criminals are coddled and their victims can go to hell, because in the scheme of things in Albany, New York, they don’t count for anything – just some collateral damage is all, nothing to see here, folks, everybody go back home and get down in your basements and don’t dare to think any bad thoughts about these savages destroying civilized society in Albany, New York.
And going back to the comments of this police officer the chief is going to fire, a police officer who is quite obviously and rightfully totally disgusted, as are the majority of us, with what he has to confront each day of his life in Kathy Sheehan’s lawless and violent sanctuary city of Albany, New York where the police officers are expected to, and now required to coddle the criminals, not protect their victims from them, that this police chief who gets down on his knees in submission to BLACK LIVES MATTER and their Marxist agenda says have no place in society, which is horse****, they are as follows:
The deputy’s body camera appears to have been accidentally activated in the middle of their conversation and starts recording as the deputy complains that that majority of their calls involve Black residents.
Haupt replies, “My buddies listen to the scanner and they send me texts all the time, and they go, ‘Is the suspect ever a white male?’ and I go ‘No.’”
“I know it sounds terrible to say, but I don’t give a f__ what anybody says, I sincerely don’t.”
“Because bro, they are the worst f__ing race and I don’t — you can’t deny, like, over the last X amount of months, they are — you know because we work together — they are getting worse and worse, and people are defending that.”
“Are you f__ing kidding me?”
end quotes
People are defending the violence and those who commit the violence, and those people who are doing that defending are mayor Kathy Sheehan and her Black police chief, Eric Hawkins, who is fast becoming the best friend a violent criminal in the city of Albany could have, and this police officer, whose life is put in jeopardy each time he has to confront those lawless savages, has every right as an American citizen to express his disgust with that situation, where police are expected to be nice to the savages and respect their feelings and be sensitive to their needs as savages as opposed to upholding law and order, which does not exist in Albany, New York, thanks to Kathy Sheehan and Eric Hawkins, who is more interested in imposing and enforcing thought control on civilized society in Albany, New York than he is on enforcing the law and keeping people safe from the violent savages that Kathy Sheehan wants coddled in her city so they don’t feel bad about themselves.
All in all some pretty incredible stuff when a police chief in Albany, New York who takes the knee to BLACK LIVES MATTER now thinks he can tell society how it is that we have to think, and for the record, I’m standing with this police officer who is sick and tired of putting his life and future in jeopardy in Albany, New York, and I sincerely hope he fights his firing to the max by standing up to this police chief who is on the side of the lawless savages, not law and order and who has proven himself not worthy of wearing the badge in what is the capital city of the state of New York.
http://www.capecharlesmirror.com/news/b ... ent-299892
Re: THE YOUNG ANDY CUOMO CHRONICLES
"Churchill: When 10's the limit, it's goodbye Uncle Alfred - This year, who makes the Thanksgiving invite list?"
Chris Churchill, Albany, New York Times Union
Nov. 25, 2020
Jim and Donna sit at the kitchen table wondering how to whittle down their Thanksgiving invite list to comply with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s coronavirus order requiring that gatherings include no more than 10 people.
Here’s their conversation:
Jim: Well, I think the first cut is obvious.
Your mother will have to stay home.
Donna: Oh no, you don't.
You tried to disinvite her last year and the year before that.
You never liked my mother.
Jim: What?!
I love Martha!
And that’s why, for her own good, she can't come.
She’s in a high-risk age group.
You heard what Cuomo said.
It simply isn't safe.
Donna: You mean the same Cuomo who invited his 89-year-old mother to a fine Thanksgiving feast at the Governor’s Mansion?
Jim: Yes, that’s the guy.
But then he disinvited his mom when people called out his blatant and outrageous hypocrisy.
A real profile in courage, our governor.
Still, if Matilda goes, so does Martha.
Donna: Let’s go over the list again before we make any hard decisions.
Let’s see, we have you, me, the twins …
Jim: Do both twins have to be there?
Donna: Yes, Jim.
They do.
They're six.
You really want to send one away?
Jim: Good point.
Donna. Continuing on, we have my sister’s family.
We have my Uncle Alfred and your nutty Uncle Larry …
OK, he’s an easy cut.
Jim: Uncle Larry?!
No way!
He has nowhere else to go.
Donna: There’s a reason for that, Jim.
He’s annoying and no one likes him.
He chews with his mouth open and remember last year when he drank too much and passed out on our bed?
It took six strong men and a wheelbarrow to move him to the couch.
Jim: So he’s a little quirky.
Let me remind you that your Uncle Alfred is hardly a ball of charm.
He demands that everybody talk politics, he calls the twins Frick and Frack, he drools when the turkey is put on the table …
Donna: That’s a medical condition!
You know he can't help that!
Jim: Well, maybe it’s finally time for Alfred and his medical condition to stay home.
He gabs all the way through the football game, he cuts his toenails in the living room, he smells like rotten cabbage …
Donna: That’s another medical condition!
I don't know how you can be so cruel.
Jim: Well, we need to cut somebody.
We can't have the sheriff pounding on the door just as we're sitting down for dinner.
That would be awful.
Donna: How would the sheriff know how many people we have?
Jim: Cuomo would tell.
He has watchers.
Donna: Watchers?
You mean like spies?
Jim: Yes, spies.
They're everywhere.
I wouldn't be surprised if your Uncle Alfred is one of them, actually.
Donna: Well, I don't know what we're going to do.
This is impossible.
How do we do this without hurting somebody's feelings?
Jim: Alright, let’s bite the bullet.
I'll call my Uncle Larry and you call your charming Uncle Alfred.
We'll just tell them, sorry, but there’s been a big change in plans and we're not doing Thanksgiving this year.
A week later, Jim, Donna and their smaller-than-usual number of guests are sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner when the doorbell rings.
Jim gets up and opens the door.
Jim: Uncle Larry?
What are you doing here?
Didn't you get my message?
Larry: Oh, I got it alright.
Is that turkey I smell?
Jim: Listen, Larry …
Larry: So you cut old Uncle Larry loose, huh?
Jim: Well, you know, Andrew Cuomo said …
Larry: Andrew Cuomo said.
Listen to you.
Whatever happened to family?
Whatever happened to the Constitution?
Don't even tell me the drooler who smells of cabbage is in there?
Jim: Those are medical conditions, Larry.
And no, Alfred isn't here.
Please understand.
We were trying to be responsible, we needed to make the group smaller and we didn't know what else to do.
This is a hard year, Larry.
… Listen, do you want some turkey?
Larry: You know I do.
And mashed potatoes with gravy.
Jim: Alright, Larry.
I'll get you a plate.
But you're going to have to eat outside.
cchurchill@timesunion.com ■ 518-454-5442 ■ @chris_churchill
https://www.timesunion.com/news/article ... 09a3f12c1f
Chris Churchill, Albany, New York Times Union
Nov. 25, 2020
Jim and Donna sit at the kitchen table wondering how to whittle down their Thanksgiving invite list to comply with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s coronavirus order requiring that gatherings include no more than 10 people.
Here’s their conversation:
Jim: Well, I think the first cut is obvious.
Your mother will have to stay home.
Donna: Oh no, you don't.
You tried to disinvite her last year and the year before that.
You never liked my mother.
Jim: What?!
I love Martha!
And that’s why, for her own good, she can't come.
She’s in a high-risk age group.
You heard what Cuomo said.
It simply isn't safe.
Donna: You mean the same Cuomo who invited his 89-year-old mother to a fine Thanksgiving feast at the Governor’s Mansion?
Jim: Yes, that’s the guy.
But then he disinvited his mom when people called out his blatant and outrageous hypocrisy.
A real profile in courage, our governor.
Still, if Matilda goes, so does Martha.
Donna: Let’s go over the list again before we make any hard decisions.
Let’s see, we have you, me, the twins …
Jim: Do both twins have to be there?
Donna: Yes, Jim.
They do.
They're six.
You really want to send one away?
Jim: Good point.
Donna. Continuing on, we have my sister’s family.
We have my Uncle Alfred and your nutty Uncle Larry …
OK, he’s an easy cut.
Jim: Uncle Larry?!
No way!
He has nowhere else to go.
Donna: There’s a reason for that, Jim.
He’s annoying and no one likes him.
He chews with his mouth open and remember last year when he drank too much and passed out on our bed?
It took six strong men and a wheelbarrow to move him to the couch.
Jim: So he’s a little quirky.
Let me remind you that your Uncle Alfred is hardly a ball of charm.
He demands that everybody talk politics, he calls the twins Frick and Frack, he drools when the turkey is put on the table …
Donna: That’s a medical condition!
You know he can't help that!
Jim: Well, maybe it’s finally time for Alfred and his medical condition to stay home.
He gabs all the way through the football game, he cuts his toenails in the living room, he smells like rotten cabbage …
Donna: That’s another medical condition!
I don't know how you can be so cruel.
Jim: Well, we need to cut somebody.
We can't have the sheriff pounding on the door just as we're sitting down for dinner.
That would be awful.
Donna: How would the sheriff know how many people we have?
Jim: Cuomo would tell.
He has watchers.
Donna: Watchers?
You mean like spies?
Jim: Yes, spies.
They're everywhere.
I wouldn't be surprised if your Uncle Alfred is one of them, actually.
Donna: Well, I don't know what we're going to do.
This is impossible.
How do we do this without hurting somebody's feelings?
Jim: Alright, let’s bite the bullet.
I'll call my Uncle Larry and you call your charming Uncle Alfred.
We'll just tell them, sorry, but there’s been a big change in plans and we're not doing Thanksgiving this year.
A week later, Jim, Donna and their smaller-than-usual number of guests are sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner when the doorbell rings.
Jim gets up and opens the door.
Jim: Uncle Larry?
What are you doing here?
Didn't you get my message?
Larry: Oh, I got it alright.
Is that turkey I smell?
Jim: Listen, Larry …
Larry: So you cut old Uncle Larry loose, huh?
Jim: Well, you know, Andrew Cuomo said …
Larry: Andrew Cuomo said.
Listen to you.
Whatever happened to family?
Whatever happened to the Constitution?
Don't even tell me the drooler who smells of cabbage is in there?
Jim: Those are medical conditions, Larry.
And no, Alfred isn't here.
Please understand.
We were trying to be responsible, we needed to make the group smaller and we didn't know what else to do.
This is a hard year, Larry.
… Listen, do you want some turkey?
Larry: You know I do.
And mashed potatoes with gravy.
Jim: Alright, Larry.
I'll get you a plate.
But you're going to have to eat outside.
cchurchill@timesunion.com ■ 518-454-5442 ■ @chris_churchill
https://www.timesunion.com/news/article ... 09a3f12c1f
Re: THE YOUNG ANDY CUOMO CHRONICLES
"Small police departments working through state police reform"
Kenneth C. Crowe II, Albany, New York Times Union
Dec. 6, 2020
Updated: Dec. 6, 2020 7 a.m.
NORTH GREENBUSH – Police Chief David Keevern has studied the guide for the New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative to see how to apply it to his 19-member department and its role in a town of 12,246 residents.
The North Greenbush department is typical of most of the state’s police forces.
It has fewer than 100 sworn officers and the job is quiet unlike the way police work is depicted on television crime dramas set in the nation’s big cities.
Calls for police reform seem more in line for places like New York City, Keevern said.
“You would think this wouldn’t be applicable to small police departments like we have in Rensselaer County.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s April 1 deadline for the state’s 446 cities, towns, village and counties that have police forces to adopt policing reform plan or risk losing state funding is about four months away.
The local governments are responding with studies and planning that are already affecting their departments.
Departments in 408 communities have fewer than 100 officers compared to 38 agencies that have 100 or more officers, according to the state Division of Criminal Justice Services’ 2019 census of police personnel.
In the Capital Region’s 32 police departments, there are 1,518 police officers with 1,002 of them working for the six largest forces.
The remaining 516 are in 27 smaller agencies.
De-escalation techniques and implicit bias training for officers had been discussed in North Greenbush but now the department has followed through with it since the review of the town’s operations began, Keevern said.
The chief and his local counterparts are discussing what they can do working together to compensate for their small size and costs they'll face.
The departments hear the calls for greater police accountability, such as use of body cameras for officers, but they don't have the budgets to pay for their installation and operation.
They also find that they're impacted by crime spilling over from larger communities, leaving them vulnerable to unanticipated crimes.
But the smaller departments also see their size as a strength.
They see their officers as having better relationships with their residents, providing the basic ingredient for successful community policing.
And they say their departments' size allows for better supervision and control of officers' interactions both with local residents and people from outside their areas.
The Capital Region’s big city departments of Albany, Schenectady and Troy get the most attention, with a focus on interactions with their larger minority communities and gun violence, especially in 2020, a year that has seen sharp increases in fatal and nonfatal shootings.
“The smaller places are really taking the diversity issue seriously and having the community much more involved,” said Alice Green, the executive director of the Center for Law and Justice in Albany.
Green has worked with the city of Beacon in Dutchess County, which has a 38-member police force.
In Beacon, the public is discussing funding for police and what the future could be, Green said.
“And if they have people of color in their community, they’re involving them,” said Green, who has been critical of the Albany Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative for lacking community representation.
Green noted that the smaller departments may have better relationships with residents due to their officers living in the community instead of being commuters.
This is something that should be considered by larger municipalities, she said.
Cohoes resident Kizzy Williams serves on the Cohoes Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative Committee and owns the restaurant Allie B’s Cozy Kitchen at 353 Clinton Ave. in Albany’s Arbor Hill neighborhood.
Mayor Bill Keeler, a retired State Police major, named the panel.
“It’s a spotlight on the community."
"And it will allow the outside people to find out what’s going on in the city."
"So, that’s why I’m happy for the police reform and being a part of the body,” said Williams, who also serves on the city Planning Board.
With her business in Albany, Williams has watched violence cut across the city this year.
She said Cohoes, with its 33 police officers, is peaceful.
She said Cohoes is working to increase diversity and welcome the minority community.
“So here today, they have a Black woman on two boards making decisions with them, getting my voice out, letting them know what we need and how we’re going to get there,” Williams said.
“Sometimes we have to look at the small cities and take some advice.”
Keeler, who began his career as a Cohoes patrol officer and eventually retired as the Troop G major commanding 600 to 700 troopers in a 10-county area that included the Capital Region, has embraced the governor's police reform and reinvention collaborative.
When Keeler took office in January, plans called for department accreditation and an in-depth look at city police operations.
Cohoes had some Black Lives Matter demonstrations but not of the magnitude of those in the region's larger cities, the mayor said.
The city's panel is drawn from its six wards and strives to be inclusive by taking into account the city's growing diversity, Keeler said.
The governor’s push for police reform arose this spring after George Floyd was killed in May while being arrested by Minneapolis police, triggering nationwide protests.
In August, Cuomo mandated that communities statewide and their police forces to develop and institute reforms for a safer, fairer policing standard, with an April deadline.
Maria Haberfeld, professor of police science at the John Jay School of Criminal Justice in New York City, has questioned if this is the responsible way to achieve true reform and improvement of policing in the state.
There is a level of frustration in communities, Haberfeld said, but that doesn’t mean they should be writing the guidelines for local police.
“It’s a complicated profession."
"We have solid empirical research of the past six decades on how police can be reformed."
"For people to suddenly be giving mandates, come up with ideas and come up with how to reform is irresponsible,” Haberfeld said about plans that don't rely on the research that's been done.
Reform has to focus on recruiting, ensuring officers have no criminal record, more extensive training and hiring of more mature officers to prevent future problem from occurring, Haberfeld said
The scope of police actions ranges from criminal arrests to enforcing traffic laws.
Bethlehem, which has a 28-member department, has been conducting its public reform meetings.
The most recent forum covered traffic enforcement and included a presentation by the department and community comments.
Hoosick Falls police Chief Bob Ashe said the village’s reform collaborative is evolving to become a permanent sounding board and a review board for his department of three full-time and 15 part-time officers.
The Green Island Police Department’s 25 members are all part-time, but experienced officers often work full-time at larger regional departments.
The village has established a committee and has started the review, said Sean Ward, executive assistant to Mayor Ellen McNulty-Ryan.
“It is a lot of work for a small department like ours,” Ward said.
A key element is hearing from people who aren't enamored with the police, said Keevern, the North Greenbush chief.
"We want to hear their views."
The North Greenbush department’s interactions are not only with its hometown, Keevern said.
The chief noted that North Greenbush is neighbors with Troy and Albany and just a 12-minute drive away.
The officers had to reflect on how they deal with people from other communities.
"We know about the problems with gang violence between Albany and Troy," Keevern said.
What most people don't know, the chief said, is when I-787 became too hot to travel, suspected gang members took a detour through North Greenbush.
"They started going up Route 4," Keevern said.
Part of that flow of traffic results in North Greenbush police officers seeing 70 percent of their crime arising from out-of-town people, Keevern said.
That means the department has to make its officers even more cognizant that they deal with people with respect.
All the municipalities will be conducting public forums in the future to discuss reforms and to solicit public comment before finalizing their recommendations by the April 1 deadline.
Kenneth C. Crowe II covers Rensselaer County for the Times Union. He writes about Troy, US Census, northeastern Albany County and whatever else comes up. Screenwriting is a fascination. You can reach him at kcrowe@timesunion.com.
https://www.timesunion.com/news/article ... 745204.php
Kenneth C. Crowe II, Albany, New York Times Union
Dec. 6, 2020
Updated: Dec. 6, 2020 7 a.m.
NORTH GREENBUSH – Police Chief David Keevern has studied the guide for the New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative to see how to apply it to his 19-member department and its role in a town of 12,246 residents.
The North Greenbush department is typical of most of the state’s police forces.
It has fewer than 100 sworn officers and the job is quiet unlike the way police work is depicted on television crime dramas set in the nation’s big cities.
Calls for police reform seem more in line for places like New York City, Keevern said.
“You would think this wouldn’t be applicable to small police departments like we have in Rensselaer County.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s April 1 deadline for the state’s 446 cities, towns, village and counties that have police forces to adopt policing reform plan or risk losing state funding is about four months away.
The local governments are responding with studies and planning that are already affecting their departments.
Departments in 408 communities have fewer than 100 officers compared to 38 agencies that have 100 or more officers, according to the state Division of Criminal Justice Services’ 2019 census of police personnel.
In the Capital Region’s 32 police departments, there are 1,518 police officers with 1,002 of them working for the six largest forces.
The remaining 516 are in 27 smaller agencies.
De-escalation techniques and implicit bias training for officers had been discussed in North Greenbush but now the department has followed through with it since the review of the town’s operations began, Keevern said.
The chief and his local counterparts are discussing what they can do working together to compensate for their small size and costs they'll face.
The departments hear the calls for greater police accountability, such as use of body cameras for officers, but they don't have the budgets to pay for their installation and operation.
They also find that they're impacted by crime spilling over from larger communities, leaving them vulnerable to unanticipated crimes.
But the smaller departments also see their size as a strength.
They see their officers as having better relationships with their residents, providing the basic ingredient for successful community policing.
And they say their departments' size allows for better supervision and control of officers' interactions both with local residents and people from outside their areas.
The Capital Region’s big city departments of Albany, Schenectady and Troy get the most attention, with a focus on interactions with their larger minority communities and gun violence, especially in 2020, a year that has seen sharp increases in fatal and nonfatal shootings.
“The smaller places are really taking the diversity issue seriously and having the community much more involved,” said Alice Green, the executive director of the Center for Law and Justice in Albany.
Green has worked with the city of Beacon in Dutchess County, which has a 38-member police force.
In Beacon, the public is discussing funding for police and what the future could be, Green said.
“And if they have people of color in their community, they’re involving them,” said Green, who has been critical of the Albany Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative for lacking community representation.
Green noted that the smaller departments may have better relationships with residents due to their officers living in the community instead of being commuters.
This is something that should be considered by larger municipalities, she said.
Cohoes resident Kizzy Williams serves on the Cohoes Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative Committee and owns the restaurant Allie B’s Cozy Kitchen at 353 Clinton Ave. in Albany’s Arbor Hill neighborhood.
Mayor Bill Keeler, a retired State Police major, named the panel.
“It’s a spotlight on the community."
"And it will allow the outside people to find out what’s going on in the city."
"So, that’s why I’m happy for the police reform and being a part of the body,” said Williams, who also serves on the city Planning Board.
With her business in Albany, Williams has watched violence cut across the city this year.
She said Cohoes, with its 33 police officers, is peaceful.
She said Cohoes is working to increase diversity and welcome the minority community.
“So here today, they have a Black woman on two boards making decisions with them, getting my voice out, letting them know what we need and how we’re going to get there,” Williams said.
“Sometimes we have to look at the small cities and take some advice.”
Keeler, who began his career as a Cohoes patrol officer and eventually retired as the Troop G major commanding 600 to 700 troopers in a 10-county area that included the Capital Region, has embraced the governor's police reform and reinvention collaborative.
When Keeler took office in January, plans called for department accreditation and an in-depth look at city police operations.
Cohoes had some Black Lives Matter demonstrations but not of the magnitude of those in the region's larger cities, the mayor said.
The city's panel is drawn from its six wards and strives to be inclusive by taking into account the city's growing diversity, Keeler said.
The governor’s push for police reform arose this spring after George Floyd was killed in May while being arrested by Minneapolis police, triggering nationwide protests.
In August, Cuomo mandated that communities statewide and their police forces to develop and institute reforms for a safer, fairer policing standard, with an April deadline.
Maria Haberfeld, professor of police science at the John Jay School of Criminal Justice in New York City, has questioned if this is the responsible way to achieve true reform and improvement of policing in the state.
There is a level of frustration in communities, Haberfeld said, but that doesn’t mean they should be writing the guidelines for local police.
“It’s a complicated profession."
"We have solid empirical research of the past six decades on how police can be reformed."
"For people to suddenly be giving mandates, come up with ideas and come up with how to reform is irresponsible,” Haberfeld said about plans that don't rely on the research that's been done.
Reform has to focus on recruiting, ensuring officers have no criminal record, more extensive training and hiring of more mature officers to prevent future problem from occurring, Haberfeld said
The scope of police actions ranges from criminal arrests to enforcing traffic laws.
Bethlehem, which has a 28-member department, has been conducting its public reform meetings.
The most recent forum covered traffic enforcement and included a presentation by the department and community comments.
Hoosick Falls police Chief Bob Ashe said the village’s reform collaborative is evolving to become a permanent sounding board and a review board for his department of three full-time and 15 part-time officers.
The Green Island Police Department’s 25 members are all part-time, but experienced officers often work full-time at larger regional departments.
The village has established a committee and has started the review, said Sean Ward, executive assistant to Mayor Ellen McNulty-Ryan.
“It is a lot of work for a small department like ours,” Ward said.
A key element is hearing from people who aren't enamored with the police, said Keevern, the North Greenbush chief.
"We want to hear their views."
The North Greenbush department’s interactions are not only with its hometown, Keevern said.
The chief noted that North Greenbush is neighbors with Troy and Albany and just a 12-minute drive away.
The officers had to reflect on how they deal with people from other communities.
"We know about the problems with gang violence between Albany and Troy," Keevern said.
What most people don't know, the chief said, is when I-787 became too hot to travel, suspected gang members took a detour through North Greenbush.
"They started going up Route 4," Keevern said.
Part of that flow of traffic results in North Greenbush police officers seeing 70 percent of their crime arising from out-of-town people, Keevern said.
That means the department has to make its officers even more cognizant that they deal with people with respect.
All the municipalities will be conducting public forums in the future to discuss reforms and to solicit public comment before finalizing their recommendations by the April 1 deadline.
Kenneth C. Crowe II covers Rensselaer County for the Times Union. He writes about Troy, US Census, northeastern Albany County and whatever else comes up. Screenwriting is a fascination. You can reach him at kcrowe@timesunion.com.
https://www.timesunion.com/news/article ... 745204.php
Re: THE YOUNG ANDY CUOMO CHRONICLES
"Activists urge Troy to defund police before 2021 budget vote"
Massarah Mikati, Staff writer, Albany, New York Times Union
Nov. 23, 2020
Updated: Nov. 23, 2020 4:16 p.m.
TROY — A day before the city council plans to vote on the proposed 2021 city budget, community activists gathered at Barker Park to urge city officials to freeze funds allocated for Troy police.
Mayor Patrick Madden proposed over $21 million to fund the police department, a roughly $700,000 increase from the adopted budget for 2020; that accounts for over a quarter of the city’s overall budget.
Activists said that such healthy funding for the police department takes away resources for other services that are much more critical to providing community safety, such as affordable housing, schools, health and mental health services and more.
“We know that police are not the solution to what we’re trying to achieve,” said Kiani Conley-Wilson of Troy Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
“We’re not only trying to defund the police, but we’re trying to put systems in place that are going to replace the police and make sure we have healthy, joyous lives that aren’t ruled by oppression or capitalism.”
Troy DSA has a list of 10 demands for how to defund the police that it says are rooted in divestment, accountability and transparency.
Those demands include removing police officers from public schools, creating a new civilian police review board “with teeth” and immediately releasing all disciplinary records of Troy police officers.
“We spend over $20 million a year on an occupying force in Troy that operates without accountability,” said Caroline Nagy, another Troy DSA member.
Many of the speakers referenced the police shootings of civilians Dahmeek McDonald and Edson Thevenin.
In Edson's killing, an internal investigation by the police department found Sgt. Randall French had lied about the moments leading up to the fatal shooting.
Activists also voiced frustration with the lack of response from the city in releasing disciplinary records they have repeatedly requested since June.
“When we’re talking about defunding the police, what we’re talking about is what actually makes our community safe?” Damaris Miller from Troy 4 Black Lives asked, referencing access to resources that some studies show provide stability and deter violence.
With the historic spate of violence that has plagued Albany and Troy this summer, Miller and others said it is clear that having police does not solve the causes and drivers of violence.
“What would happen if we could spend millions of dollars on effective education, and mental and emotional health, and making sure everybody has a warm and safe home?” Miller continued.
“If we want to create a safe space for our communities, we need to create that same constant investment for generations into the actual systems that support us and keep us safe.”
https://www.timesunion.com/news/article ... 748831.php
Massarah Mikati, Staff writer, Albany, New York Times Union
Nov. 23, 2020
Updated: Nov. 23, 2020 4:16 p.m.
TROY — A day before the city council plans to vote on the proposed 2021 city budget, community activists gathered at Barker Park to urge city officials to freeze funds allocated for Troy police.
Mayor Patrick Madden proposed over $21 million to fund the police department, a roughly $700,000 increase from the adopted budget for 2020; that accounts for over a quarter of the city’s overall budget.
Activists said that such healthy funding for the police department takes away resources for other services that are much more critical to providing community safety, such as affordable housing, schools, health and mental health services and more.
“We know that police are not the solution to what we’re trying to achieve,” said Kiani Conley-Wilson of Troy Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
“We’re not only trying to defund the police, but we’re trying to put systems in place that are going to replace the police and make sure we have healthy, joyous lives that aren’t ruled by oppression or capitalism.”
Troy DSA has a list of 10 demands for how to defund the police that it says are rooted in divestment, accountability and transparency.
Those demands include removing police officers from public schools, creating a new civilian police review board “with teeth” and immediately releasing all disciplinary records of Troy police officers.
“We spend over $20 million a year on an occupying force in Troy that operates without accountability,” said Caroline Nagy, another Troy DSA member.
Many of the speakers referenced the police shootings of civilians Dahmeek McDonald and Edson Thevenin.
In Edson's killing, an internal investigation by the police department found Sgt. Randall French had lied about the moments leading up to the fatal shooting.
Activists also voiced frustration with the lack of response from the city in releasing disciplinary records they have repeatedly requested since June.
“When we’re talking about defunding the police, what we’re talking about is what actually makes our community safe?” Damaris Miller from Troy 4 Black Lives asked, referencing access to resources that some studies show provide stability and deter violence.
With the historic spate of violence that has plagued Albany and Troy this summer, Miller and others said it is clear that having police does not solve the causes and drivers of violence.
“What would happen if we could spend millions of dollars on effective education, and mental and emotional health, and making sure everybody has a warm and safe home?” Miller continued.
“If we want to create a safe space for our communities, we need to create that same constant investment for generations into the actual systems that support us and keep us safe.”
https://www.timesunion.com/news/article ... 748831.php
Re: THE YOUNG ANDY CUOMO CHRONICLES
"On Twitter, former Cuomo aide alleges sexual harassment by governor"
Edward McKinley, Albany, New York Times Union
Dec. 13, 2020
Updated: Dec. 14, 2020 11:41 a.m.
ALBANY — A former aide to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo alleged in a tweet Sunday morning that the governor "sexually harassed me for years."
The accusation was leveled by Lindsey Boylan, who worked from 2015 to 2018 as Cuomo's deputy secretary for economic development and as a special advisor.
Boylan has in recent days complained on social media about the work environment she experienced in the Executive Chamber.
"Yes, @NYGovCuomo sexually harassed me for years," Boylan wrote within a Twitter thread devoted to the subject of workplace sexual harassment.
"Many saw it, and watched."
"I could never anticipate what to expect: would I be grilled on my work (which was very good) or harassed about my looks."
"Or would it be both in the same conversation?"
"This was the way for years."
"Not knowing what to expect what’s the most upsetting part aside from knowing that no one would do a damn thing even when they saw it," she continued.
"No one."
"And I *know* I am not the only woman. ... I hate that some men, like @NYGovCuomo abuse their power."
Cuomo's press secretary, Caitlin Girouard, emailed a response on Sunday afternoon to Boylan's tweets: "There is simply no truth to these claims."
Boylan's Sunday thread came a week after a Twitter thread in which she described a work environment where a handful of close Cuomo advisors exert control and the rest of the staff in his office feels marginalized.
She alleged that if you’re not “one of those handful, your life working for him is endlessly dispiriting.”
“If people weren’t deathly afraid of him, they’d be saying the same thing and you’d already know the stories,” Boylan wrote of the governor.
“Seriously, the messages and texts I receive when I speak the truth about this."
"... It’s a whole book of people who have been harmed.”
The Times Union interviewed three women who worked in the executive chamber for Cuomo for more than 15 years combined, but have each since left.
They were reached out to independently by the newspaper; they spoke on the condition of anonymity as they weren’t familiar with Boylan’s specific claims of being personally harassed, but they said the culture described by Boylan did not match their own experiences working for Cuomo.
“I never once saw him berate or treat a staffer in a way that was unbecoming."
"I just never saw it."
"And to me … there’s a lot of things that could be said about the governor, but sexual harassment, it just boggles my mind,” said the first, who worked in a manager-level role for a number of years.
“Not to say it may not be true, but it’s very difficult for me to believe it,” she said.
The second said she had been “racking her brain” all morning trying to think if she’d ever heard of the governor harassing a woman after seeing Boylan's tweets, and she couldn’t come up with anyone.
The third said she "never felt or observed any sexual harassment, period."
All three women said that working for the governor is demanding and high-stress, and that Cuomo can be a tough boss.
But they conveyed that is what one should expect when one works in high levels of government.
One of the women, when asked whether Cuomo speaks sharply to staff, paused for several seconds before answering slowly that “he expects a lot,” and, pausing again, she added that he can be demanding and strongly worded.
“I wouldn’t question that someone would perceive it as bullying,” she said, but she instead perceived it as directness.
Boylan stated on Twitter that she tried three times to quit Cuomo’s office “before it stuck.”
She also suggested she'd declined to sign some type of non-disclosure agreement when leaving the job, stating that she did not “sign whatever they told me to sign when I left.”
The women contacted by the Times Union said they weren’t pressured to stay, the way Boylan said she was.
They said they were never asked to sign an NDA, and they couldn’t imagine anyone else being asked to.
One of them said she was thrown a going-away party when she left that was attended by senior staff.
Last week, Cuomo's Senior Advisor Rich Azzopardi denied that Boylan was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
Boylan is in the midst of a political campaign, running in the 2021 election for Manhattan borough president.
In June, Boylan lost a Democratic primary for U.S. Congress to incumbent U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler.
“To be clear: I have no interest in talking to journalists," she wrote in a subsequent tweet to the one alleging the harassment.
Boylan didn't respond to a call or text from the Times Union after she sent her first tweets on the subject last week.
The Times Union obtained 2018 executive chamber internal personnel records, which show that Boylan, herself, was accused of bullying, harassing behavior while she worked for the governor, which ultimately led to her resignation.
Three Black women reported that Boylan had yelled at them and "treated them like children."
This led to a meeting with Cuomo's head lawyer where Boylan offered to resign.
Boylan told the lawyer that she regretted that "her directness can be perceived in a certain, negative way (contrary to her intentions)," the records show.
Edward McKinley reports on New York state government and politics for the Times Union. He is a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism and a 2020 graduate of Georgetown's Master's in American Government program. He previously reported for The Kansas City Star newspaper, and he originally hails from the great state of Minnesota. You can reach him at Edward.McKinley@timesunion.com.
https://www.timesunion.com/news/article ... 09a3f12c1f
Edward McKinley, Albany, New York Times Union
Dec. 13, 2020
Updated: Dec. 14, 2020 11:41 a.m.
ALBANY — A former aide to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo alleged in a tweet Sunday morning that the governor "sexually harassed me for years."
The accusation was leveled by Lindsey Boylan, who worked from 2015 to 2018 as Cuomo's deputy secretary for economic development and as a special advisor.
Boylan has in recent days complained on social media about the work environment she experienced in the Executive Chamber.
"Yes, @NYGovCuomo sexually harassed me for years," Boylan wrote within a Twitter thread devoted to the subject of workplace sexual harassment.
"Many saw it, and watched."
"I could never anticipate what to expect: would I be grilled on my work (which was very good) or harassed about my looks."
"Or would it be both in the same conversation?"
"This was the way for years."
"Not knowing what to expect what’s the most upsetting part aside from knowing that no one would do a damn thing even when they saw it," she continued.
"No one."
"And I *know* I am not the only woman. ... I hate that some men, like @NYGovCuomo abuse their power."
Cuomo's press secretary, Caitlin Girouard, emailed a response on Sunday afternoon to Boylan's tweets: "There is simply no truth to these claims."
Boylan's Sunday thread came a week after a Twitter thread in which she described a work environment where a handful of close Cuomo advisors exert control and the rest of the staff in his office feels marginalized.
She alleged that if you’re not “one of those handful, your life working for him is endlessly dispiriting.”
“If people weren’t deathly afraid of him, they’d be saying the same thing and you’d already know the stories,” Boylan wrote of the governor.
“Seriously, the messages and texts I receive when I speak the truth about this."
"... It’s a whole book of people who have been harmed.”
The Times Union interviewed three women who worked in the executive chamber for Cuomo for more than 15 years combined, but have each since left.
They were reached out to independently by the newspaper; they spoke on the condition of anonymity as they weren’t familiar with Boylan’s specific claims of being personally harassed, but they said the culture described by Boylan did not match their own experiences working for Cuomo.
“I never once saw him berate or treat a staffer in a way that was unbecoming."
"I just never saw it."
"And to me … there’s a lot of things that could be said about the governor, but sexual harassment, it just boggles my mind,” said the first, who worked in a manager-level role for a number of years.
“Not to say it may not be true, but it’s very difficult for me to believe it,” she said.
The second said she had been “racking her brain” all morning trying to think if she’d ever heard of the governor harassing a woman after seeing Boylan's tweets, and she couldn’t come up with anyone.
The third said she "never felt or observed any sexual harassment, period."
All three women said that working for the governor is demanding and high-stress, and that Cuomo can be a tough boss.
But they conveyed that is what one should expect when one works in high levels of government.
One of the women, when asked whether Cuomo speaks sharply to staff, paused for several seconds before answering slowly that “he expects a lot,” and, pausing again, she added that he can be demanding and strongly worded.
“I wouldn’t question that someone would perceive it as bullying,” she said, but she instead perceived it as directness.
Boylan stated on Twitter that she tried three times to quit Cuomo’s office “before it stuck.”
She also suggested she'd declined to sign some type of non-disclosure agreement when leaving the job, stating that she did not “sign whatever they told me to sign when I left.”
The women contacted by the Times Union said they weren’t pressured to stay, the way Boylan said she was.
They said they were never asked to sign an NDA, and they couldn’t imagine anyone else being asked to.
One of them said she was thrown a going-away party when she left that was attended by senior staff.
Last week, Cuomo's Senior Advisor Rich Azzopardi denied that Boylan was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
Boylan is in the midst of a political campaign, running in the 2021 election for Manhattan borough president.
In June, Boylan lost a Democratic primary for U.S. Congress to incumbent U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler.
“To be clear: I have no interest in talking to journalists," she wrote in a subsequent tweet to the one alleging the harassment.
Boylan didn't respond to a call or text from the Times Union after she sent her first tweets on the subject last week.
The Times Union obtained 2018 executive chamber internal personnel records, which show that Boylan, herself, was accused of bullying, harassing behavior while she worked for the governor, which ultimately led to her resignation.
Three Black women reported that Boylan had yelled at them and "treated them like children."
This led to a meeting with Cuomo's head lawyer where Boylan offered to resign.
Boylan told the lawyer that she regretted that "her directness can be perceived in a certain, negative way (contrary to her intentions)," the records show.
Edward McKinley reports on New York state government and politics for the Times Union. He is a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism and a 2020 graduate of Georgetown's Master's in American Government program. He previously reported for The Kansas City Star newspaper, and he originally hails from the great state of Minnesota. You can reach him at Edward.McKinley@timesunion.com.
https://www.timesunion.com/news/article ... 09a3f12c1f