A public safety committee exists within the Common Council and it has direct and regular contact with APD. Issues such as those raised in your letter are best addressed through that committee, or directly with the chief of police

"What's the point of bringing this up 10 years ago, all kidding aside," Scalzo can be heard asking Morris on a tape of the meeting. "You smell blood in the water and now you want to go for the blood, that's what it's about."

Last week, Scalzo defended his actions, saying he didn't believe it was proper to talk about the machine guns during a finance meeting. He said the Public Safety Committee, which he heads, will continue to seek answers.

In Oregon, Texas and Michigan, police officers and two prosecutors have been charged with federal firearms and tax evasion crimes for buying guns through their departments[...] [TU, 101707]

Say ... what do you suppose would happen if that same thing happened here in Albany?  Cops obtaining illegal firearms, and doing it through the police department to avoid paying taxes on them?  

What's that you say?  You would guess that nothing would happen, no prosecutions, no comment from The Tan One?  So cynical of you.  So jaded.  And so correct.

Brendan Lyons of the TU has written an excellent series of articles on this scandal.  In the spirit of DIA's dysfunction posts, the following is a chronological look at how we've gotten to this point of Santa not delivering any indictments for the guilty parties.  (Excerpts from the TU articles in italics.)

1993, 1994 and 1995 [TU, 102807]: multiple purchases of federally banned weapons [...] purchased at tax-exempt, discount prices. [TU, 100807]  [F]ormer assistant chief, William M. Murray, [...] signed official departmental letters [stating] "These weapons will be used for official duties only, purchased by the department for departmental use only [...]" [TU,  102807]

December 2002: ATF agents find a machine gun for sale at a local gun dealer.  The gun was registered to the Albany police force [and] had been brought to the store by Michael Romano, who is now a detective with internal affairs. [TU, 100807]

January 2003: Then-Police chief Robert Wolfgang sends a letter to ATF: "Please be advised that the following weapons, registered with BATF to the Albany City Police Department ... are not accounted for," the letter states, listing 12 guns.  "Currently the departmental records identifying the officers who possessed the weapons cannot be located." [TU, 102807]

Unknown 2003: The U.S. attorney's office in Albany was briefed about the matter [...] by the ATF, according to sources familiar with the investigation. U.S. Attorney Glenn T. Suddaby said: "ATF never brought a case to our office. [TU, 100807]

January 2004: Former assistant chief Murray dies.  [P]rior to [his] death he was visited by an Albany assistant police chief, Anthony Bruno, who removed an assault rifle that day. [TU, 112507]

April 2004: Wolfgang out as chief.

July 2004: John Curry, a part-time sheriff's department inspector, [...] went to Murray's home [...] at the request of Wolfgang.  Curry [...] was asked to remove three large artillery shells, including a live one, from the basement.  Curry may or may not have had assistance from the State Police bomb squad.  Curry said he went alone and never documented the incident or notified Watervliet police. [TU, 112507]

December 2005: Tuffey in as chief.

February 2006: The TU files a FOIL request. [TU, 101707]

April 2006: [T]he city denied the Times Union's [FOIL request], stating: "Disclosing the weapons that are used by the police force in fighting crime in the City of Albany could endanger the life of the officers using them against criminals."

At the time the letter was written, city officials would have known their own internal investigation determined the guns were unsuitable for urban policing, had never been deployed or used by the department in any official capacity, and that some of the weapons were missing and had been purchased by individuals other than police officers, according to interviews with people
familiar with the case. [TU, 082607]

August 2007: TU publishes first article about the scandal. [TU, 082607]  After that publication, Tuffey acknowledged the guns were never used by the department and that there was no policy to use them. Departmental sources said the guns were unsuitable for urban policing and that no officers received formal training on their use. [TU, 102807]  

September 2007: Tuffey goes before the Public Safety Committee and his statements led Common Council President Shawn Morris and Public Safety Committee Chairman James Scalzo [...] to believe all of the guns were recovered and destroyed[.] [TU, 102807]

October 2007: Oct 8: TU reports that there are an unknown number of guns still missing. [TU, 100807]  Oct 10: At a Common Council finance meeting, Tuffey sez: "I never lie and I never will lie. ... I said to you that all the guns we had in our possession were destroyed," Tuffey said. "I don't know how many guns were purchased. ... I don't know. There's no records, guys." [TU, 102807]

October 2007: The [Albany Police Officers Union] served papers [...] seeking to intervene in a Freedom of Information lawsuit filed by the Times Union, which is asking a judge to order the city to release the records. [TU, 101707]  The union says that the identities of the officers who were in on the gun deals should not be made public as a matter of internal job performance or some such shit.

So...

What's you favorite aspect of all this?  The city officially lying in its denial of the TU's FOIL request?  The TU knowing more about how many guns are out there than Tuffey knows?  Suddaby's non-responsive response?  The artillery (artillery!) pick-up that was done at Wolfgang's request, months after Wolfgang resigned?  So difficult to choose.

A state judge has ordered the city of Albany to give the Times Union copies of records related to the illegal purchase of dozens of machine guns by Albany police officers.

The gun store investigation was later scuttled, in part, according to people familiar with the probe, because of concern by federal authorities that the Albany police gun scandal would become public.

Either way, McDonough questioned the legitimacy of that now 2-year-old investigation.

"Tellingly, Chief Tuffey fails to identify his or the Albany Police Department's actions as a criminal investigation, makes no mention of any criminal charges that might result from the investigation, and does not discuss the effect that statutes of limitations might have on the viability of such prosecutions," McDonough wrote.

"Moreover, Chief Tuffey fails to offer any explanation as to why the investigation, admittedly initiated in early 2006, has yet to be completed, or describe the need for additional investigatory steps," the judge added.

They're next to my TV -- Sam the Bugler is my prized possession, actually," said John D'Agostino, 32. The Jennings bobblehead will move to the front of his collection. "We're big Jerry Jennings fans."

Do you live in Albany?

"No, Rotterdam," he said. ....

As the gates opened, the less die-hard supporters migrated from tailgating perches to the stadium, seemingly unconcerned that they might not be one of the first 1,500 fans to get the dolls.

"If not, I will murder somebody," said Mike Carbone, 23, who drove from Saratoga Springs to get the bobblehead. His friend Danielle Unser, 26, agreed. "It's all about the bobblehead. Jerry Jennings for president. Alive at Five nationwide."

Today's TU's story entitled, "Access to activities limited", is an article about a group of dedicated ctizens trying to identify the root causes of the gangs, guns and drug problem in Albany. The group identified three main causes for these problems: that too many of Albany's children are living in poverty; poverty is a major cause of the gangs, guns and drug problem in Albany; and that while there are many programs for our city's youth, the means of getting to these programs, i.e. transportation, is lacking.

The group called for the city to invest $100,000 in a transportation project that would safely get our youth to, and back home from, the places the programs are held (Lincoln Park, Boys & Girls Club, schools, the city youth centers, etc.). Sounds reasonable to me. Many other cities provide transportation for this purpose, for example: "GOT WHEELS" in Oakland, CA. So what is the reponse to this suggestion: Mayor Jennings takes his usual posture of not saying what the city will do to solve the problem, but deflects the problem onto others and he blames the school district. But, he even goes further this time, and includes the churches in his "pass-the-buck" answer to any problem that affects the city.

The Inner City Youth and Family Coalition, made up of residents, elected officials, representatives of religious organizations, etc., simply asked for the city to find a way to transport our children to summer and after-school programs so as to keep the youth off the streets. But, the Mayor and his commissioners obviously don't get it. Parks and Recreation Commissioner John D'Antonio (and John and I work very well together) speaks about the city's boxing program on Quail Street and the fitness center in Lincoln Park. And that's the point: How are the kids (already living below the poverty line) in West Hill and Arbor Hill going to get to Lincoln Park? Or, how are the kids in the South End going to get to the boxing program on Quail Street? Transportation is the answer.

But Mayor Jennings, who joined a group of us and sat for two hours a couple of weeks ago with representatives from Providence, RI explaining how they put their youth programs/after-school activities under one umbrella and how they provide TRANSPORTATION to and from the different programs, is quoted in the TU, "I am not sure it just boils down to transportation." The Providence project uses school buses at little or no cost by re-working the schedules of some buses to get the kids to the programs. The "Got Wheels" program uses public transporation. These programs are successful. Since "Got Wheels" went into effect, juvenile crime in Oakland dropped 40%. In Providence, school attendance increased, and truancy decreased after their transportation program was enacted.

Mayor, it's time to stop blaming others (the school district, the churches, the parents, etc.) for Albany's problems and start to take actions to solve the problems. It's time to stop hiding behind stoops (see today's TU editorial cartoon) and time to admit we have a gang, gun and drug problem in Albany. It's time to get involved with our youth and provide the means (TRANSPORTATION) to attend the many programs offered to our youth. It's time, as Sister Natalie Runfola said, to stop abandoning our youth!

Dominick Calsolaro
Common Council Member - First Ward

This is what it took to get Hezekiah Morris through high school: a persevering mother, a best friend serious about education, a prestigious after-school program, an Albany High English teacher and an awareness that without an education, he'd be dead.

On Sunday, Morris graduated from Albany High School with 515 classmates. Morris will be among the 90 percent of the school's largest graduating class pursuing a college degree when he heads to Hudson Valley Community College later this year to pursue a business degree.

Morris, 18, grew up in the Ida Yarbrough homes. Starting in middle school, he saw friends choose guns, drugs and money over school -- one of them indicted just weeks ago in connection with the shooting death of a 10-year-old girl. Morris himself was beaten up by some of the gangs and recruited to join others.

There were moments he was tempted by trouble. Instead, he walked away from fights. He avoided the dangerous crowd. His parents taught him education was the most important thing in life.

"Whatever you want, you can go get it," he said. "You've got to get through high school."

Shortly before he strode into the University at Albany's SEFCU arena on Sunday sporting sunglasses, Morris put his arm around his best friend, Nigel Jennings, who was also wearing a blue graduation robe. The two motivated each other through high school by making it a competition. Without that, Morris said, he might not have made it.

Jennings would boast to Morris when he got the better grades on an algebra exam. Morris would gloat over an extra percentage point on a grade. They smiled when they talked about pushing each other to be better students.

On the weekends, their No. 1 goal was to avoid the streets, where a downtown kid could get a bullet in the head for being in an uptown neighborhood.

This is a test of leadership, and the mayor is failing it.