Schenectady Mayor Brian Stratton is beginning to look like Sisyphus, the figure in Greek mythology who was given the pointless and interminable task of pushing a rock up hill; it would always fall back and he would have to start again. That rock would be the city’s dysfunctional police department, which Stratton has tried everything a reasonable person could think of to get up the hill, but its dead weight keeps falling back on him and the residents of Schenectady. We applaud him for continuing to try — talking seriously about abolishing the department and creating a countywide force. And we regret that his plan not only has been rejected by his friends at the county level, but, in an extraordinary step, publicly repudiated at a press conference held by Legislative Chairwoman Susan Savage yesterday. The day started promisingly, with a Gazette story indicating that state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo was interested in helping and would try to get a grant for a feasibility study. Such a study is needed — not to document the city’s police department myriad problems, as Savage said at her press conference, but to show how police coverage could be maintained for the various municipalities with a countywide department and how much money might be saved. Efficiency from consolidation is the main reason Cuomo has been going around the state championing it, with a plan to clear up and streamline state laws and make consolidating easier for governments that want to. And there would be efficiencies and savings from a countywide department, starting with the savings that would surely come from getting rid of the city’s police contract, which is way too generous with sick time, comp time and union time while restricting disciplinary options. With a police budget of $16 million (more than $20 million with fringe benefits), there should be millions to spread around to the towns and county, which are all starved for money. Since the city’s prime motivation, as Stratton said, isn’t saving money, but removing the police union’s stranglehold, it would probably be willing to give most, or all, of its savings to the towns and county. Other savings could come from having fewer administrators, and perhaps avoiding an expensive new police station being considered as part of a new town hall complex in Rotterdam. Unfortunately, the day that started promisingly ended discouragingly because the county government, whose support would be needed to make this work, doesn’t want to do it. The county Democrats’ slogan “working together works” apparently only goes so far. Savage’s arguments either miss the point or argue against themselves. She says that “shifting the underlying problems facing the city police department to another level of government will not solve the problem.” But in this case, it actually could solve the problem, which is why Stratton wants to do it. She also says that “what is needed are real solutions instead of politically expedient ones that pit one community against another.” But pitting one against the other is exactly what she was doing with her press conference. Finally, she argues that under state law, the city has the tools to manage and discipline its officers if it wanted to. We’d just like to point that this is the police union’s line, and anyone who knows the situation in Schenectady knows it isn’t true. But the union controls the Conservative Party in Schenectady County, and its endorsement could be important for some Democrats on the county Legislature and in the towns. Is that the political expediency Savage was talking about?
Savage took Stratton to the woodshed. Maybe he should answer her calls? Nobody in the suburbs wants this. Only an egghead who never served, never was a police officer, would propose this. Stale as last weeks Pereca's bread.
Only the "snooze" keeps promoting this as a good idea. He is being "applauded" by Saratoga County editors whose only concern is running jive past the overtaxed sheeple in the City. No "feasibility studies". No county police force. Stop grandstanding and for once lead. Remove the bad apples or resign in disgrace.
Savage took Stratton to the woodshed. Maybe he should answer her calls? Nobody in the suburbs wants this. Only an egghead who never served, never was a police officer, would propose this. Stale as last weeks Pereca's bread.
Only the "snooze" keeps promoting this as a good idea. He is being "applauded" by Saratoga County editors whose only concern is running jive past the overtaxed sheeple in the City. No "feasibility studies". No county police force. Stop grandstanding and for once lead. Remove the bad apples or resign in disgrace.
I often disagree with you views but I must give credit and say...Very well said
I'm a novice on this issue. Please explain it to me.
I generally like the idea of consolidation of government services. From most comments on this board, there seems to be a sentiment that government is too big so consolidation should be a good thing, no? My general impression was that the Gazette editorial hit the nail on the head.
Given the burgeoning costs associated with town police departments, I tend to believe there would be tremendous local support for consolidation. Of course, there's one caveat: public safety would need to not be compromised. Which brings us to the reason behind the study. Here's one study that actually makes sense to me - why not get some data?
Lastly, forget what you think of Stratton or Savage. If Cuomo and Stratton are aligned, as they appear to be, Savage is toast if Cuomo wants her to be. I found the quote by Gardner, if accurate, nearly unbelievable that "Stratton was getting poor advice." Cuomo gave him two of his lawyers.
Can someone make a rational argument to me without resorting to somehow turning it into me being against the police (because I'm not) ? Leave the current corruption aspect out too - just from a cost analysis perspective - why wouldn't a consolidation proposal make sense?
I don't have all the answers for you but I can speak for myself. I have never heard of any police department in this area that has too many officers and I believe it has been reported that schdy has been very short on officers for a very long time. I am very happy with the police service in my town and there is no doubt in my mind that officers will be taken from my area and would be called to respond in the City.
I also like the fact that in a smaller department you get an opportunity to know the officers in the department and they know the neighborhoods and the people in it. I think you would lose some of that in a larger department.
As I said, I'm happy with the police service in my town and if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
I wonder where this leaves the countywide centralized dispatch project currently in the works? Grant applications have been submitted. As you can imagine the city of Schenectady is the major funding source.
I don't have all the answers for you but I can speak for myself. I have never heard of any police department in this area that has too many officers and I believe it has been reported that schdy has been very short on officers for a very long time. I am very happy with the police service in my town and there is no doubt in my mind that officers will be taken from my area and would be called to respond in the City.
I also like the fact that in a smaller department you get an opportunity to know the officers in the department and they know the neighborhoods and the people in it. I think you would lose some of that in a larger department.
As I said, I'm happy with the police service in my town and if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Thanks for the civil thoughts. Your point makes perfect sense and I agree that I wouldn't want to see that aspect compromised. I suppose I'm wondering why a proper consolidation couldn't keep providing that, assuming you get cost savings/economies of scale/or whatever by eliminating redundancies?
Consolidation of dispatch I'd go along with, but frankly, IMHO, officers in Rotterdam, Niskayuna, Scotia aren't ready/able to deal with the BS on the city streets. Nor conversely are the city officers anywhere near able to handle the "hilltowns" or deal with the different geographical areas of the towns in the county. Ask a SPD officer where "Co. Rt. 143" is - can you imagine the training needed? Can you imagine an RPD or NPD officer to go deal with gang fights on dark city alleys? I'm not saying they're INCAPABLE, by any means, but it's just WAY out of the ordinary and not something they'd be comfortable in right away. I would suspect we'd lose a lot of good officers in the towns if they were forced into patrols of the city streets on a regular basis.
Consolidate the dispatch/administration - maybe ... not the officers.
Thanks for the civil thoughts. Your point makes perfect sense and I agree that I wouldn't want to see that aspect compromised. I suppose I'm wondering why a proper consolidation couldn't keep providing that, assuming you get cost savings/economies of scale/or whatever by eliminating redundancies?
I don't know any of the particulars but I don't see any way how this would benefit the towns but I think it would be great for the City because I see them getting more coverage for the same money whereas the towns would get less and they would lose the familarity aspect.
I would think that 90% of the cost would be employee based expenses and I don't think anybody believes that through consolidation there will be less employee's in this case. I think we would actually see more employees for making up the current shortfall in the City. I think this is the basic principle why the City wants it and the towns don't.
Agreed on it not benefiting the towns, but being great for City. It would be interesting to tell officers in Rotterdam, Niskayuna and Scotia that the job they signed up for, protecting their community is no more...and they are potentially responsible for another area!!
I don't know the particulars either. Before I could form an opinion, I would question who would be in control of a countywide police force? The Mayor or the county legislature? How much input would the towns have?
Let me break it down for you. If a Countywide force is created former suburban police will have to cover the City. This will leave the towns vulnerable. The towns are already spending too much money on the City. Through Metrograft, through record County Property taxes. The bad apples from the City will be on the new force.
Joanne's question is valid and the answer is no one knows. Rene's point is also great. The County can't even unify a dispatcher -now they will create an entire new police force? Will the Hilltowns get any coverage or will they just pay for nothing (as usual)?
The saddest part is that after 6 years of pretending there is no crime problem in the City, after putting in the Commis in to clean up the force, only now Stratton is realizing there is a problem? There's been a problem since Day One and by looking the other way for years it got much worse.
Ms. Savage pulled the rug from under Stratton. She is running in November, without popular Judge Eidens, and cannot support Stratton's nonsense and be re-elected. Stratton keeps up the charade and now wants to waste millions on "feasibility studies". You can't make it up. Only in Schenectady.
Logged
Savage took Stratton to the woodshed. Maybe he should answer her calls? Nobody in the suburbs wants this. Only an egghead who never served, never was a police officer, would propose this. Stale as last weeks Pereca's bread.
