First I'm no politician...THANK GOD! Second, I ditto Brad Littlefield. Well said! Third, My issue is not with 'takebackschdy'. It is however with the present administration that has arrogantly given themselves raises, taxing the people of schenectady to one of the highest in the country, AND YET, the citizens have to fend for their own safety. Protection is the role of government which they have obviously failed miserably at.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Glad to hear you are not a politician. Are we to believe that Schenectady County is the exception when it comes to political patronage jobs and costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of unnecessary dollars? If I recall correctly, Rotterdam politicians created jobs for their people at a huge expense to taxpayers.
And I agree with Brad's comments. He has many good ideas there and maybe he should run for office so he can make a difference.
Raising taxes, raising salaries and creating new positions seems to be the 'NYS thing to do'. From the top all the way down!
And I agree with jnotar, that perhaps Brad should consider a run!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Brad your ideas are good, with that said, who is going to implement that into the current system. Thats why taxpayers are frustrated politicians don't want to listen to any ideas,
Schenectady’s Public Safety Commissioner, Wayne Bennett stated in a public meeting on Dec 7 .Re: county taking over the lock-up: He would love to see this happen as this is a corrections function. The Schenectady Police Department has 30+ cells. He will be working towards this outcome. There is great liability related to this charge. He is also increasing the civil service exam to twice a year.
Bumble, I am also happy to hear that you are not a politician, And I for one know taxes are high, I look at my taxes everytime it comes in the mail! However my point being what are you going to do to change things, I mean Lots of people are not happy with most of how our local government go about the stuff that they do and it furiates many people. Taxes high as it is raises to them selfs, spending money foolishly, But as It stands they are the ones that are on the drunken party bus!
Quoted from Mrclean for one who is "big brother " this is a community effort that involves residents, When a web cam is in a public area there is no federal law regarding such use, when you go to the store, gas station, malls, and the list goes on, look up and smile your on candid camera! no body said anything about having a web cam pointed in your window. and I can see you are not the type of person that does not likes any changes or be a part of the solution just a problem. ONLY positive attitudes invited no negative people!! And what about the officers that are honest, or perhaps the ones that got suspended that might be inocent? overtime is used for those who call out sick or when thre force is down, as it stands The Schenectady Police Department needs to get the number of personnel increased. There are 17 vacancies in the 150 person department, handling 90,000 calls per year. Currently, they need to prioritize calls. They need to improve response time for calls. 9 new recruits will begin with the city in January and another new group will begin training then. It takes 8 months of training before new officers can begin. Once personnel levels are increased (probably by the Spring), the officers will begin walking (community policing) within the areas they work. This will help people feel comfortable giving needed information to the officers (about crimes committed) and will deter others. Committees are working on how to get guns off the street. Besides being 17 officers down they have five officers on suspention! What can you do as a citizen to be part of the solution to help reduce crime! that's why we are oranizing takeschenectady back wesite!
BRAVO. I applaud the takeschenectady back effort, I read about it on the rants and raves site. Instead of griping about the lack of protection and the issues you are doing something about it. Can you imagine how disheartening it must be for the majority of hard working cops in Schenectady to go to work everyday and listen to this constant bashing?
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Quoted from Brad Be careful of what you ask for ... you just may get it!
2006 Total tax levy for Election Expense while still under control of the Town of Duanesburg $9,675 (Usually had a few $$ left over) 2007 Total tax levy for Election Expense since taken on by the County $23,379
Not to mention when there was a problem on election day while under the control of the Town the election inspectors knew to call the Town Clerk. She would take care of all issues even if it meant driving to the polling place. That service is no longer available. The change to county control was to comply with the HAVA.
With regard to the Dec. 7 police incident of alleged police brutality, I have concerns that this occurrence will be somehow linked to the past mismanagement of the Schenectady Police Department [Dec. 29 Gazette]. Every newspaper article and TV story continues to bring up past incidents that are totally unrelated to this specific case. A person who has an extensive criminal record, has multiple DWI violations and has served time in a state prison, should know better than to threaten and curse at police officers responding to the scene — as apparently happened in this case. Furthermore, whatever injuries the man received did not rise to the level of police brutality, and it’s unclear that they were inflicted by the police, anyway. I would have to believe that the worst assignment in the Schenectady Police Department is working the night shift and dealing with the bad apples and the deadbeats. We should be thankful that there are still some police offi cers willing to take life-threatening risks to protect us. Their reward is to be suspended and have their name tarnished by the media. We need to let the police know that we stand behind our front line when it comes to protecting us from the criminal element. In my opinion, these young officers should be commended, not suspended. At the very least, they should not be prejudged, and they should not be made the scapegoats for the past mismanagement of this police department. JACK MCDONALD Schenectady
Schenectady to welcome new cops tonight Wednesday, January 2, 2008 SCHENECTADY — The Schenectady Police Department will officially welcome nine new recruits to the force at 7:30 tonight with a "gun and badge" ceremony at police headquarters. During the ceremony, city Public Safety Commissioner Wayne Bennett will present the nine recruits currently attending the Zone 5 Law Enforcement Training Academy Basic School with their badge and on-duty weapon. The new officers are scheduled to graduate from the academy on Thursday.
Carl Strock THE VIEW FROM HERE Sch’dy cops suspended: What gives?
Look what we have here: fi ve Schenectady police officers sus pended over an incident in which a guy with a sleazy record, in the process of being arrested for DWI at 2 o’clock in the morning, suf fered a slight abrasion to his face and a bruise to his wrist. What? you might say. And the mayor is talking about firing them OK, maybe the cops were a little bit rough with a guy they say was drunk and telling them to mind their own business and who was allegedly driving without a license which he had already been arrest ed for just a few weeks earlier, but does that warrant a federal case? Granted, the suspension of the officers is with full pay, which the rest of the world would call a va cation and be happy to have, but still, something must be going on You don’t just take some drunk low-life’s word for it that he was beaten up when he has next to no injuries to show for it and suspend five police officers with the added threat of firing them. So what’s up? Is this a case of Mayor Brian Stratton and Public Safety Commissioner Wayne Ben nett being over-eager to demon strate resolve after last year’s scan dal of an officer pleading guilty to stealing drugs? Is it a case of Bennett, recruited to clean up the department, seizing on the first little thing that comes along? Is it Stratton revving up a cam paign for Congress by trying to cleanse Schenectady of the one remaining stain on its reputation that is, its police department? Or is the matter more seri ous than it appears on its face and does it really justify coming down on those five cops like a ton of bricks? Well, I don’t know, ladies and gentlemen, I am just an onlooker but I do have it on good authority that there is a videotape of what the cops did to the guy they arrested and it’s not pretty: It shows them beating him while he is handcuffed after taking him out of a patrol car for the purpose. Further, there is indication that they turned off the cameras their cars are equipped with before go ing to work on him, so there would be no evidence. As luck would have it, one camera was inadver tently left on, which is why a tape exists, and which is also why three officers were suspended after the first two. Those three would be the ones who were “complicit in helping to withhold information,” as described by Mayor Stratton. Since the matter is under in vestigation, neither Stratton nor Bennett will discuss the evidence though Stratton did say there is more than he is able to share and more than has been reported in the media. He would neither confirm nor deny the existence of a video tape, and neither would Bennett. But tape or no tape, how bad a beating could the cops have ad ministered if the guy wound up with injuries that were barely no ticeable even to the intake offi cer at the county jail who is respon sible for logging such things? Commissioner Bennett says “Police officers aren’t given the latitude, nor should they be, to de termine what’s trivial and what’s no longer trivial,” when it comes to injuries they inflict. “Once they start writing their own rules of the game, you’re headed down a very slippery slope. The nature of the injuries shouldn’t distort the real argument here, which is police exceeding their authority. That’s what the investigation is going to be all about.” I do note that one of the fi rsttwo officers suspended, Eric Reyell, or somebody by the same name from New York state, is ranked No. 193 by the National Grappling Rating Service, for the Middle Atlantic Region, as an intermediate cruiser weight in the martial art known “We did not seek the governor’s approval on this and we did not Carney did not return calls seeking comment. Bennett is navigating in uncharted waters, following a 2006 Court of Appeals decision that appears to give him the authority to impose discipline on police officers without going through the cumbersome process of outside arbitration, which so often leaves administrators frustrated. If he succeeds in this effort, he will himself be the hearing officer — in effect, the judge — in any proceeding involving the officers and will decide on any punishment, up to and including firing. So he is very guarded in his comments now. The police union, the Schenectady PBA, has filed an improper pracas No-Gi, which is similar to jiujitsu. Perhaps someone with such qualifications would know how to inflict pain without leaving marks or broken bones. The investigation of this matter is to proceed on two levels: criminal and internal. Commissioner Bennett tells me he has turned over the criminal aspect to the Schenectady County district attorney, Bob Carney, and has put the internal investigation on hold till the other is complete. Mayor Stratton, meanwhile, is talking very tough. When I pointed out to him that the guy who supposedly got manhandled had a record of criminal convictions and was allegedly driving drunk, without a license, and therefore might not be the ideal person to base a misconduct case on, he said, “Regardless of whether he was an upstanding or model citizen, there is no tolerance, no excuse for excessive force. This department needs to learn that,” which I thought was interesting coming from someone who condoned the raid about a year and a half ago in which an entire family was manhandled by a police team merely because a teenager in the family possessed a small amount of marijuana. But never mind. If the mayor has gotten religion and now become intolerant of excessive force, blessings upon him. I’m all in favor. I wish he had gotten religion earlier, but I’ll take what I can get. Belated concern for the rights of others is better than no concern at all. He also says he believes the fi ve officers in this case should be fi red if misconduct is established, even if the misconduct doesn’t rise to the level of criminal behavior. That’s something that would not have been possible under the old system of outside arbitration — and may not be possible now, depending on how the PBA’s challenge is resolved. At any rate, I can’t tell you how happy I am, after all these years, finally to see someone take police thuggishness seriously in Schenectady and really try to do something about it. My only misgiving is if they succeed I will have a lot less to write about. Carl Strock can be reached at 395-3085 or by e-mail at carlstrock@dailygazette.com.
9 new cops gets badges, guns Mayor: Rookies to start ‘new chapter’ BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Michael Goot at 395-3105 or mgoot@dailygazette.net
Schenectady officials urged nine new police officers Wednesday to set an excellent professional standard in a department that has been marred by scandal. “We believe, and rightfully so with the history of this department and the challenges that we have faced, anything short of that is not acceptable,” said Mayor Brian U. Stratton at a ceremony held at the police headquarters to present the officers with their badges and weapons. Stratton said the department has come under scrutiny with the recent suspensions of five officers pending an investigation into a complaint about excessive force used during a felony DWI arrest last month. He urged the nine, who will formally graduate today from the Zone 5 Law Enforcement Training Academy Basic School, to start a new chapter in the police department. “We want you to look at this as a great opportunity … to begin a new chapter in the Schenectady Police Department and to prove each and every day that we are so fortunate to have you and others protecting lives and keeping the city safe,” he said. One by one, the officers had their badges pinned on them by a spouse or relative and a superior officer handed them their handgun. Then Daniel Bean, Matthew Dearing, Bret Ferris, Adriel Linyear, Ryan Macherone, Christopher North, Matthew Overocker, Michael Popolizio, and Bryan Rasmussen took the oath of office. Public Safety Commissioner Wayne Bennett said the new officers represent more than just themselves. “You want to be able to walk off this job and say to yourself, ‘I did it right. I did it honorably. I have nothing to be ashamed of,’” he said. He said their graduation today will be the proudest day of their professional career and expectations are high. “The public will have every right to demand more of you because you are a public servant. That is the price we pay for being in government,” he said. Bennett told reporters after the ceremony that District Attorney Robert Carney is investigating to see whether officers Andrew Karaskiewicz, Kevin Derkowski, Gregory Hafensteiner, Darryl Mallard and Eric Reyell used excessive force during their Dec. 7 arrest of felony DWI suspect Donald Randolph of Pattersonville. All five have been placed on administrative leave with pay pending this investigation. Randolph, who was in prison twice in the 1990s for burglary and robbery convictions, faces charges of felony aggravated unlicensed operation, felony driving while intoxicated and violation harassment. An injury report taken when Randolph arrived at the jail shows Randolph with swelling on the right side of his face and a bruised right wrist. Bennett said he is waiting to determine if there was any criminal misconduct before the police internal investigation begins. He did not have a specific timetable on when that would be concluded. “I’m in a holding pattern,” he said. OFFICERS FOCUSED The new officers were just focused on their upcoming job. Dearing, a 24-year-old who has a degree in criminal justice, said he wants to give back to his community. “This is where I was born. This is where I grew up,” he said. Ferris, 23, of Albany County, said he has wanted to be a police offi cer since he was 16 or 17. “I really enjoy the work. It’s just the fun and excitement.” Police spokesman Lt. Brian Kilcullen said the new recruits will not be full-fledged officers right away. They will spend the next 13 weeks in the field training program. Officers learn about policies and procedures and gradually take on more responsibility, Kilcullen said. He said the department pays roughly $15,000 in salary for the six months the recruits are at the academy. When they join the force, the starting salary is about $36,000. Kilcullen said these new recruits will bring the department’s staffing up to 154 officers — still short of their ideal complement. “We’re budgeted for 166 [officers],” said. Police are currently doing some background investigations for candidates starting the six-month academy program in a few weeks. “We’re basically looking to get more police officers on the street,” Kilcullen said.
Jail welcomes new medical provider Move expected to save county money BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter
Schenectady County hired a new for-profit company to provide medical services to jail inmates, saving approximately $200,000 from the previous agreement with locallybased Hometown Health. County Attorney Chris Gardner said Correctional Medical Care of Pennsylvania began providing full medical care to inmates Tuesday. He said the company will receive approximately $900,000 annually, versus $1.1 million Hometown Health received annually for the last three years. “We did a very smooth transition. CMC came in Dec. 10 and for several days sat down with all employees and offered them continued employment,” Gardner said. He said most Hometown Health employees stayed with CMC. “If you looked at it, you wouldn’t see anything different,” Gardner said. Sheriff Harry Buffardi said the county thoroughly checked out CMC’s references before signing a contract. “All the references are pretty good and we think we will have a good relationship with them,” he said. CMC has contracts with several jails in the state, including those in Ulster and Broome counties and in the Bronx. Gardner said county officials contacted the sheriff of Broome County about CMC and got word he “was impressed with them.” Schenectady County had to change medical providers after Hometown Health, a federally qualified inner-city health center, wanted a 10 percent increase in its annual contract, plus a $250,000 per year subsidy, Gardner said. Hometown Health said the county’s 3 percent offer was not enough to offset growing costs. CMC’s Web site said the company’s medical services “meet or exceed all local and national standards established by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care.” The Web site added: “CMC services are tailored to meet the unique and specific needs of each of its clients.” In 2005, Laura Woolsey died in the jail after she was discharged back to the jail from Ellis Hospital. A state report faulted the hospital for discharging Woolsey too soon following surgery; it did not fault the county or Hometown Health.
Schenectady cop probe transferred to state Thursday, January 3, 2008 By Steven Cook (Contact) Gazette Reporter
SCHENECTADY — The criminal investigation into five Schenectady Police officers regarding a December drunken driving arrest has been transferred to the state, officials said today. Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney asked for the transfer because one of the officers, Daryl Mallard, is married to Lisa Mallard, one of his office’s investigators. That creates a conflict, or an appearance of a conflict of interest, Carney said. He placed Mallard as the driver of a paddy wagon that came to the scene and said he could potentially be a witness, rather than a target. That decision, however, could be second-guessed if it were made by his office due to Mallard’s relationship with one of his investigators, Carney said. Mallard was one of five officers suspended with pay last week related to alleged police misconduct in a Dec. 7 drunken driving arrest. Family members of Donald Randolph have claimed he was beaten by officers after getting off a cell phone call to his girlfriend. Along with Mallard, officers Andrew Karaskiewicz, Eric Reyell, Kevin Derkowski and Gregory Hafensteiner remain suspended.
SCHENECTADY State to investigate police brutality allegation DA cites possible conflict of interest in turning over case BY STEVEN COOK Gazette Reporter
The criminal investigation into the actions of five Schenectady police offi cers involved in the arrest of a suspect in a December drunken driving case has been transferred to the state, officials said. Schenectady County Court Judge Karen Drago signed the order late Thursday afternoon, accepting arguments from Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney to take his office off the case. The problem, Carney said, is that one of the suspended officers, Daryl Mallard, is married to Lisa Mallard, one of Carney’s investigators. Officer Mallard’s relationship to the case also has to be determined. “He could be a participant, he could be a witness,” Carney said Thursday evening. “But my ability to make that decision is subject to criticism.” The decision now means the state Attorney General’s Office will take over the investigation. The Attorney General’s Office has a public integrity bureau, along with a criminal prosecutions bureau, Carney said. Schenectady police officials last week suspended with pay the five officers — Mallard, Kevin Derkowski, Gregory Hafensteiner, Andrew Karaskiewicz and Eric Reyell — pending an investigation of allegations of excessive force in the arrest of the suspect. Karaskiewicz was the arresting officer who charged Pattersonville resident Donald Randolph early on the morning of Dec. 7 in the parking lot of the Union Street Mc-Donald’s restaurant. Carney’s motion also sheds some new light on exactly where and when the alleged misconduct took place, and the roles of the other officers. Karaskiewicz made the initial arrest at the McDonald’s, taking Randolph into custody there. The alleged beating, however, took place six blocks away, near the corner of Union and McClellan streets, according to Carney’s motion. Karaskiewicz stopped there to transfer Randolph to the department’s prisoner wagon. The wagon was driven by Officer Mallard. The three other officers arrived separately in patrol cars, partners Reyell and Derkowski in one car and Hafensteiner in another. The motion states that Randolph’s accusations are that one or more officers used excessive force and he was injured. Randolph’s family alleged that a half-dozen officers beat him while arresting him. A report Thursday by Gazette columnist Carl Strock states that a police recording of such an incident exists. Carney’s motion does not provide any more insight into what evidence may exist, including any recordings from patrol car cameras. A police internal affairs investigation concluded Randolph’s complaint had merit, referring it to Carney’s office for possible criminal prosecution, the motion reads. Carney has since met with Randolph and reviewed the evidence. Carney agreed that further investigation was needed to determine whether criminal charges should be brought. But with the Mallard husband and wife connection, Carney met with attorney general’s officials Dec. 28 — the day Mallard, Hafensteiner and Derkowski were suspended — to ask that office to take the case. He got his answer Monday, and the judge’s approval Thursday. Randolph is charged with felony aggravated unlicensed operation, felony driving while intoxicated and violation harassment. Randolph’s attorney, Paul Callahan, has claimed that while Randolph was charged with driving offenses, he wasn’t behind the wheel — another person was, and that person fled. That claim, Callahan said, is backed up by a drivethrough McDonald’s worker. Callahan could not be reached for comment Thursday. There was some indication, however, that E. Stewart Jones’ offi ce may be getting involved. George LaMarche, a member of Jones’ office, Thursday confirmed the firm has been contacted. Records show Randolph was imprisoned twice in the 1990s on burglary and robbery convictions. He was arrested by the Schenectady County Sheriff’s Department on a misdemeanor aggravated unlicensed operation charge three weeks prior to the incident under review. Randolph arrived at the Schenectady County Jail on Dec. 7 with swelling on the side of his face and a bruised right wrist, according to an injury report taken at the facility. He told corrections officers the injuries were delivered by police and cited the McDonald’s employee as a witness. Sheriff’s department booking photos appear to show a red mark above Randolph’s forehead. Randolph ultimately spent more than five days in jail before being released on his own recognizance.
Public can be heard about police Comments invited at Schenectady City Council meeting focused on department problems
By LAUREN STANFORTH, Staff writer First published: Friday, January 4, 2008
SCHENECTADY -- The public will get their first chance Jan. 22 to tell city officials how they feel about the Schenectady Police Department's continuing problems.
The City Council will allow members of the public to comment on recent Police Department behavior as part of a series of three meetings focused on problems facing Schenectady's police officers. City Councilman Gary McCarthy, who is on the council's Public Safety Committee, called the meetings to address a Schenectady County grand jury report that said department disorganization and lack of oversight has gone back decades. The grand jury said poor supervision allowed former vice squad Officer Jeffrey Curtis to steal drug evidence from crime scenes and from inside the Police Department to feed his addiction. Curtis was sentenced to four years in state prison in September. More recently, five officers were put on paid suspension for allegedly roughing up a drunken-driving suspect in early December. An investigation into that incident is continuing. The City Council has already heard from Public Safety Commissioner Wayne Bennett and Police Benevolent Association President Lt. Robert Hamilton on their prescriptions for fixing the department. They want to "bring it to a performance level and standards that we can all be proud of," McCarthy said. The meeting, which is a regular City Council committee meeting, will be held at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council chamber at City Hall.
Re the Dec. 24 letter, “Police complaints fall, but review board still isn’t out of business”: I find the comments by A.C. Mazurek [chairman of Schenectady Civilian Police Review Board] that a decrease in complaints have occurred interesting if not laughable . I wonder why? Could it be possible that the citizens of Schenectady have decided to stop submitting complaints because of inaction by the review board? Or is it possible that you need to engage legal counsel yourself to bring action against the police department — as noted by the recent Donald L. Randolph case for police brutality. Next week my complaint celebrates its 14-month anniversary, and outside of a letter of receipt dated Nov. 28, 2006, from the now departed Chief Michael Geraci, I have had no communication from anyone. Until the review board can act in a timelier manner, I would suspect that complaints to it will continue to dwindle until it is “out of business.” JOSEPH G. MANGANO Rotterdam
By DAVID FILKINS, Staff writer Friday, January 4, 2008
SCHENECTADY -- Donald Randolph, who has alleged he's the victim of police abuse, appeared in City Court today and is expected to face drunken driving charges on Jan. 18.
Randolph, 37, of Pattersonville, faces charges of felony driving while intoxicated, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and second-degree harassment. If convicted on the felony, he would face up to four years in prison. On Dec. 7, Randolph was taken into custody in the Union Street McDonald's parking lot and allegedly beaten multiple times by five officers en route to police headquarters. The officers -- Daryl Mallard, Gregory Hafensteiner, Kevin Derkowski, Andrew Karaskiewicz and Eric Reyell -- were suspended with pay for 30 days. An investigation into Randolph's allegations is being handled by state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. A spokesperson from his office had no comment today. Randolph appeared in City Court wearing jeans, a brown jacket and a New York Giants cap. He tapped his feet and stared at the wall until appearing before Judge Vincent Versaci as the date for his next appearance was set. Randolph's lawyer in his drunken driving case, public defender Paul Callahan, is on vacation and was not present. As he left the court with his girlfriend, Randolph offered no comment except to say, "I wish you all a happy New Year."
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