Search Committee Failing to Bring Community Policing to Albany

Myself and several other SUNY students attended Tuesday night's update from the Police Chief Search Committee to the Common Council Public Safety Committee.

I was very upset to hear the the Search Committee, who has been meeting since December, has failed to have a meaningful discussion concerning a definition of Community Policing. The Search Committee put Community Policing at the top of the requirements in the Police Chief job description. It is absurd that they have yet to discuss a strategy for setting standards, parameters or other ways of judging the viability of the 8 candidates. Jordan from the Times Union covered the meeting and this issue:

"At that meeting, task force member Alice Green raised concerns that, with the interviews just two days away, the eight-member panel had still not had a substantive discussion of the meaning of community policing -- something the public has repeatedly said it wants the next chief to understand."

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=910289&category=region#ixzz0iZBsCk9Z

We Need Community Policing, Not Candidates with Lip Service

Last Thursday we brought 30 SUNY students to the Police Chief Search Committee's public forum in Arbor Hill. Check the news coverage detailing our presence at the meeting:

Capital 9 News Channel Story:

http://capitalregion.ynn.com/content/apd_chief_search/news_stories/497830/final-public-meeting-on-police-chief-search-held

Times Union: "Chief Search Forum Held"

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=908053&category=REGION

Our message was simple: candidates such as John Pikus are not viable. Pikus does not have any experience in real Community Policing--developing programs and policies that rebuild trust between communities and their police.

Furthermore, Pikus has actively chosen against Community Policing. Instead of using the RICO act to lock up Albany's urban youth, Pikus could have used the Kennedy model that was successful in engaging the community and preventing crime. Check this Newsweek article about Kennedy's success in transforming public safety in the inner city:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/182534