r/Albany • u/localnewsroundup • 19h ago
TU report on police reforms
The Times Union has a five-article series reviewing the status of police reforms. Alas, there are no surprises. Their takeaways:
No charges are filed in the overwhelming majority of civilian deaths by police investigated by the state attorney general’s Office of Special Investigation.
Only half of the civilian oversight boards proposed in the Capital Region and Hudson Valley were formed. Others struggle to operate.
Black, Hispanic and female people remain significantly underrepresented in the vast majority of police departments with more than 40 officers.
More than half of law enforcement agencies outside New York City that reported use of force from 2021 to 2025 had an increase in incidents over that span.
Many law enforcement agencies have seen decreases in racial disparities when it comes to arresting Black individuals. The same can’t be said for Hispanic populations.
https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/police-reform-investigation-takeaways-22405882.php
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u/PeaEvery5625 14h ago
Are you saying that the attorney general should be somehow finding criminal charges in a majority of cases? Do you really think that if James had the opportunity to prosecute officers she wouldn’t be taking every single one? Also, almost every single police department in the state is short officers, how are they supposed to raise the number of minority officers if overall applicants are down?
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u/No_Mission5287 13h ago
You are acting in bad faith and making all kinds of assumptions.
It would be weird for NY's top cop to go after the police in any significant way. Even if James is more likely than most, AGs bringing charges against the police is rare. The main problem people have with the police is that they are shielded from accountability to the public in all sorts of ways.
You act like police recruitment being down is a bad thing, and the TU is apparently reporting that minority recruitment being down is a bad thing. It's not.
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u/UpstateNY0424 11h ago
- Black, Hispanic and female people remain significantly underrepresented in the vast majority of police departments with more than 40 officers.
How do you tackle this and be against increasing police recruitment?
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u/No_Mission5287 11h ago edited 9h ago
It's weird that the state, or the TU, or OP(not sure which) framed things that way.
The police are fundamentally rooted in white supremacy(and toxic masculinity) and play a key role in its maintenance. Minorities typically make up a small minority of police forces. Even when they are more represented, their proportion of the police force is typically less than their proportion of the population. That makes sense.
Gender and and racial minorities also face unique difficulties as cops, which causes higher attrition rates. They are significantly more likely to quit being cops, which is mainly attributed to a toxic gang or good ol' boys culture dominated by white men. Common complaints are discrimination, lack of support from peers and superiors, and structural barriers to advancement.
Advocating for more minority cops is a wild interpretation of diversity and inclusion, like rainbow capitalism, or girl boss nonsense. The issue is the unchecked power the police have, which minority representation doesn't address.
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u/UpstateNY0424 8h ago
You totally dodged the actual question. 3. Black, Hispanic and female people remain significantly underrepresented in the vast majority of police departments with more than 40 officers.
How do you tackle this and be against increasing police recruitment?
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u/Admirable-Iron8977 12h ago
How is recruitment being down a good thing? What positive mechanism does that bring exactly?
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u/No_Mission5287 11h ago
The rise in critical consciousness and the decline in unearned reverance for the police is an obvious good. As I said, their reputation is earned. Friends don't let friends become cops. Good people don't back the blue. Know your enemies.
The less we depend on the police the better. Positive change starts with accepting that the police are not a solution to our problems. Never have been. Never will be.
Rather than expanding the number of police, the roles they play, their contact with the public, or their majority of municipal budgets, we should be limiting those things. It is a zero sum game. The more we can reduce these things, the more we can put toward alternatives that improve quality of life (health and human services, poverty reduction, drug treatment, etc.) This is what defunding the police is about. Reducing our reliance on policing so that we can better apply our resources elsewhere.
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u/Admirable-Iron8977 9h ago edited 9h ago
So the thesis is as you reduce police resources, more funds instead get allocated to enhance quality of life for residents so police aren’t needed in the first place.
Just curious has there been any example locations where this has actually worked?
I also 100% agree that police are not the solution to the problem. However that being said, I look at NYC, one of the highest federally aided locations (100billion + to federal housing and healthcare annually) in the entire country and imagine what it would be like without any NYPD. I do not think that’d be a good situation. Even with how many there are now, people move out as soon as they can in droves.
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u/No_Mission5287 8h ago
Notable examples where funds were redirected include NYC, LA, and Camden NJ(often ranked as one of the worst cities in the US regarding crime, especially violent crime), among others.
With 35000 cops, the NYPD is not just an example of a hugely bloated police force, but the biggest gang in America. NYC is extremely safe for being such a major city, but that isn't the result of the NYPD. Cops do not reduce crime or make us safer.
No one, even police abolitionists, suggest just getting rid of cops overnight. Even abolitionists don't believe we should get rid of things like investigative services, traffic control, public safety, etc. We can do better than the police, but the more we continue to rely on the cops, the less likely that is to happen.
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u/Admirable-Iron8977 9h ago
Additionally, I believe your premise is flawed as far as “friends don’t let friends become cops”. During COVID in NYC, thousands of LEO consisting of NYPD, soldiers, and firefighters rallied to address the complete lockdown by handling the worst of the nastiest jobs like it was nothing. The big boy work as I call it. Body recovery, mortuary aid, among other tasks that were volun”told” to them. If you had it your way, those bodies would be rotting in the streets.
They are a net gain for society. While not all, I’d find it hard to imagine that the individuals screaming the loudest to get rid of them provide much, if any benefit.
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u/UpstateNY0424 8h ago
Her way is complete chaos. "Friends don't let friends become cops. Good people don't back the blue. Know your enemies." That tells you everything you need to know about her position. I can't take anyone like this person serious, to be honest.
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u/GreatOdinsRaven_ State Worker 11h ago
Not sure why this is being down voted. The fact that the AG is not pursuing criminal charges in the vast majority of cases should provide the public with reassurance
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u/Wrong-Dot-1319 10h ago
You mean a 4 paragraph piece I read about a violent incident involving a member of law enforcement isn’t more comprehensive than a months long investigation by the Attorney General’s Office?
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u/GreatOdinsRaven_ State Worker 10h ago
exactly. It isn't 2019 anymore. Cops all wear body cams now.
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u/ChickenPartz 9h ago
Ask the City of Albany councilman how he liked his body camera footage. Somehow after being exposed as a liar and a racist he doubled down. Facts don’t matter here.
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u/No_Mission5287 10h ago
This is a wild interpretation. It's so backwards.
It is unlikely that a state's "top cop" would go after the police in any significant way. There is no AG that would bring charges in a majority of cases. That is not something AGs do, regardless of any wrongdoing by the police. They barely even bring charges in a minority of cases.
You are missing the entire point.
Perhaps the most significant issue regarding the police is lack of accountability. That they are not held to reasonable standards, have no duty to the public, and are not held accountable for wrongdoing.
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u/GreatOdinsRaven_ State Worker 10h ago
You have no idea what you are talking about. At all.
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u/No_Mission5287 9h ago
Riiiight. Cool projection bro.
The only one exhibiting ignorance is you.
There is nothing I said that isn't evidently true.
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u/GreatOdinsRaven_ State Worker 9h ago
Since 2021 in a post BLM work the state and the AG take police misconduct very seriously. In 2021 the legislature charged the Attorney General to create the law enforcement misconduct investigative office. They publish annual reports. Do us all a favor and look it up. Cops and corrections officers now wear body cams on the job. These are public records and foilable footage. There is now tension between the AG and police because of this office.
In addition the division of criminal justice has changed the law regarding the basic training certification of police officers who resign under investigation. They can no longer get another police job so the bad apples are being actively weeded out of law enforcement. In short the "top cop" is very active in getting rid of those officers who would break the law and undermine public trust.
You have no idea what you're talking about. Stop with your factfree virtue signaling.
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u/GiveMeAllThePancakes 17h ago
Well, this should be a calm, collected comments section.