Community Policing


By DIA, Section News
Posted on Fri Jan 12, 2007 at 04:33:23 AM EST

It will come as no surprise to readers of this blog that Terry O'Neill is for community policing. There is a good article in the Metroland on this latest efforts in this area. One of the best bits is a nice piece of common sense from Assemblyman McEneny.
According to McEneny, the need for community policing has not always existed. “Years ago, the cops lived in the neighborhoods. When a kid was acting up or people were suspicious of goings-on or creepy-looking strangers walked by, the cop only lived a block or so away.”

McEneny said that as city police officers became better paid, they began an exodus into the suburbs. “We now have a generation of police officers that never lived in a city. They were educated in suburban schools. We have police officers with an urban mindset and a suburban ZIP code. That is one of the reasons why you have to suddenly say, ‘You have to get the community involved.’ The police were the community, they actually lived there.”
That is it in a nutshell.

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Community Policing | 11 comments (11 topical, 0 hidden)
Beat cops ... (none / 0) (#1)
by 1894 on Fri Jan 12, 2007 at 05:18:53 AM EST
Which is why getting rid of the beat cops was such a lousy idea. My beat cop didn't live in my neighborhood (Arbor Hill) but he really put in the time and knew the problems and the people, both good and bad. He was a consistent presence and a face for the APD in the neighborhood. No more.

I had to file a police report a couple of weeks ago because of repeated vandalism in a city park. The cop who responded said he had never been in the neighborhood, not once, and he didn't know the cross streets, the familiar landmarks, any of the residents, etc., etc. Not his fault, though. I blame Tuffey for fixing something that wasn't broken.

had the same experience recently (none / 0) (#2)
by DIA on Fri Jan 12, 2007 at 05:43:22 AM EST
with a cop working in a neighborhood that he clearly had no concept about and giving very bad advice.   the advice would've been good 5 years earlier, but the neighborhood had changed.  Can't really blame the cop, he was trying to help but he didn't know the street.

miss my beat cop, too.  

[ Parent ]

Beat cops (none / 0) (#3)
by alfrednewman on Fri Jan 12, 2007 at 05:52:09 AM EST
The other day I had to call the APD for something. They didnt respond until after I called back to cancel the call and get information to file a complaint.
"What? Me worry? " "whatmeworry.alfred@gmail.com"
[ Parent ]
I believe you (none / 0) (#6)
by kateb on Fri Jan 12, 2007 at 09:09:47 AM EST
My experience was different.

Twice I called a non-emergency number, two different nights.  Based on what I said, they came fast both times.

Lead investigator on my case "gets" people like me:  don't want a scene, don't want a fuss, it's over fast anyway (the bad guys).

My new marching orders are call him and he'll send cars, or call 911, all the time.  Call 911 even if it doesn't strike me as an emergency.  Call 911 if I'm just uncomfortable, or if it's just weird.

It helps enormously when cops know you.

[ Parent ]

Of course (none / 0) (#8)
by kateb on Fri Jan 12, 2007 at 06:11:25 PM EST
in Guilderland, they said something else.

By the way, did you know Stuyvesant Plaza is in Guilderland, not Albany?  

If goons go there because you're there, you follow up with the Guilderland police.

Just an FYI.

[ Parent ]

Community Policing, Assemblyman McEneny's comments (none / 0) (#4)
by hawkny on Fri Jan 12, 2007 at 07:43:32 AM EST
Jack McEneny is verbalizing what every long time resident of the city of Albany knows...80% of the APD have no stake in the city beyond their 8-hour tour of duty (+overtime). This makes the force "mercenary" in the eyes of many.  Every city resident is looked at as a potential target by the cop in the street.  It was not always that way but it surely is now.  Its very scary.

Has anyone noticed how many patrol cars are cruising the uptown neighborhoods now, without any sense of purpose?  It's like, what is this all about, chief?

Who pays the city's bills? (none / 0) (#9)
by AlfredMoisiu on Sat Jan 13, 2007 at 11:35:04 AM EST
Hint: Not the slumlord collecting $2500/mo in rent from a rowhouse assessed at $65k in a downtown neighborhood.

[ Parent ]
Hmmmm (none / 0) (#10)
by alfrednewman on Sat Jan 13, 2007 at 12:01:24 PM EST
Albania?

snort
"What? Me worry? " "whatmeworry.alfred@gmail.com"
[ Parent ]

Why not? (none / 0) (#11)
by AlfredMoisiu on Sun Jan 14, 2007 at 08:08:49 AM EST
Albany bears more than a passing resemblence to a former communist state. Tirana did have better bus service though.

[ Parent ]
Look at the Whole Picture (none / 0) (#5)
by nitevision on Fri Jan 12, 2007 at 08:38:10 AM EST
Like many of you, I have some real concerns about policing in our city.

Reading Mceneny's quotes about cops getting raises & moving out of the city makes me wonder.  Is Mceneny suggesting that we lower cop's salaries?  Then what?  Unqualified Cop wannabees who can't find jobs elsewhere?  Is a teacher any less dedicated in an inner city school because they live in Bethlehem?

Some, not all, beat cops were great.  I remember reading about people calling the beat cop on his cell phone rather than 911.  Many treated beat cops like personal servants, 24/7.  When the beat cop was off duty, a call to his cell phone only delayed a response because he in turn would have to call headquarters.  What if the call went to voicemail?

Alfred, maybe the delay in responding to you was because cops were responding to a parent's call about their kid refusing to get on the school bus.
It happens, because parents refuse to accept responsibility for their kids.  It seems that some want cops and teachers to raise their kids.

A newly assigned cop doesn't know the area on day one.  I've learned that many of the experienced cops know the names of every bad guy in my neighborhood.  Like most professions, you have a mixture of good and not so good members.  

The beat cops served a purpose but they too need to be supervised and held accountable.  They should not serve just as window dressing. Some of the former beat cops were just that.  We will know soon enough if this new plan works or not.

McEneny was making an historical observation... (none / 0) (#7)
by Jim Travers on Fri Jan 12, 2007 at 02:04:03 PM EST
not much else. A bit of nostalgia and maybe this, too:

When you live in a neighborhood, whether you own or rent, you have a vested interest in its well-being. Usually.

Unfortunately, people often care less about those living in other communities.

If everyone in Albany cared more about their neighbor's interests, we in Coeymans would not be battling your proposed landfill, and folks living in the South End and Arbor Hill would have healthier and safer neighborhoods.

I take issue with other posters who've claimed 'it's not their fault' or 'they're not to blame', regarding policemen being unfamiliar with the neighborhoods they are working in.

For goodness sake, the policemen's very lives could depend upon how well they know the layout of the the neighborhoods they are assigned to work in.

I would say that it is understandable though, that they don't know their way around an unfamiliar neighborhood they've been called to work in, if it was not part of their training.
(Although I think self-preservation would dictate you learn this on your own.)

Learning the layout Albany's neighborhoods should be part of their orientation and rookies should have to memorize the names and locations of all of Albany's streets, and also what the quickest route from point A to point B would be.

This is a prerequisite that all London's taxi drivers must meet before getting their hack licenses. Why should we expect less from our cops?

Imagine this: a cop is down, and calls in for assistance. None ever reaches him in time because no one on duty knows how to navigate the city's streets.

Beat cop are still needed and wanted.    

[ Parent ]

Community Policing | 11 comments (11 topical, 0 hidden)
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