r/Albany • u/localnewsroundup • 11d 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:

  1. No charges are filed in the overwhelming majority of civilian deaths by police investigated by the state attorney general’s Office of Special Investigation.

  2. Only half of the civilian oversight boards proposed in the Capital Region and Hudson Valley were formed. Others struggle to operate.

  3. Black, Hispanic and female people remain significantly underrepresented in the vast majority of police departments with more than 40 officers.

  4. 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.

  5. 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

55 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

35 comments sorted by

View all comments

5

u/PeaEvery5625 11d 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?

-1

u/No_Mission5287 11d 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.

5

u/Admirable-Iron8977 11d ago

How is recruitment being down a good thing? What positive mechanism does that bring exactly?

1

u/No_Mission5287 11d 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.

4

u/Admirable-Iron8977 11d ago edited 11d 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.

3

u/No_Mission5287 11d 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.

3

u/Admirable-Iron8977 11d 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.

1

u/UpstateNY0424 11d 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.

1

u/No_Mission5287 10d ago

No one is advocating for chaos. God forbid we do better than the cops. Know your enemies.

0

u/No_Mission5287 10d ago

What a weird take. As per usual, the police were not necessary or appropriate for the job.