Public Safety Committee

ALBANY COMMON COUNCIL PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MINUTES Thomas Hoey, Chair Meeting called by: Thomas Hoey, Chair | Date: February 20, 2024 | Time: 5:32 PM Committee Members Present: Hoey, Chair ☒ | Balarin ☒ | Flynn ☒ | Frederick ☒ | Kimbrough ☒ Council Members Present: Romero City Personnel Present: Chief Eric Hawkins (Albany Police Department), Deputy Chief Vincent Foley (Albany Police Department), Shaniqua Jackson (City Clerk), Jake Eisland (Research Counsel), Bryan Jimenez (Senior Legislative Aide), Max Thierry (Junior Policy Analyst) Speakers/Invitees: Chief Eric Hawkins (Albany Police Department), Deputy Chief Vincent Foley (Albany Police Department), Sheriff Craig Apple (Albany County Sheriff), Major Dennis Schafer (New York State Police Troop G Commander), Special Agent in Charge Craig Tremaroli (Federal Bureau of Investigation Albany Field Office) Minutes Topic(s) of Discussion:  RESOLUTION 9.12.24R (MC) A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL RECOGNIZING INCREASED VIOLENCE IN THE CITY OF ALBANY AND REAFFIRMING THE COUNCIL’S COMMITMENT TO A PERMANENT END TO VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITIES Discussion  The Chair called the meeting to order and introduced Resolution 9.12.24R (MC) as the topic of discussion. He asked speakers to introduce themselves, to which Deputy Chief Foley, Chief Hawkins, Sherriff Apple, Commander Schager, and SAC Tremaroli responded.  Resolution 9.12.24R (MC) o The Chair spoke on homicides in the City and discussed the structure of the meeting. o Chief Hawkins thanked the committee and speakers. He spoke on homicides in the City and said that they followed a similar pattern to the increased homicides in the past 2-3 years. He said that the homicides shared an interpersonal nexus. He said that the factors at play in recent homicides included individuals’ conflict resolution, impulse control, and anger management. He spoke on recent efforts to address violence beyond utilizing APD’s uniformed staff, including hiring civilian, non-sworn victim advocates and social workers. He spoke on trends in violence since the pandemic. o The Chair thanked Chief Hawkins. o Council Member Hoey spoke on the availability of firearms and noted the unusual trend of increased homicides in the City compared to other municipalities.  Chief Hawkins spoke on national trends in homicides using firearms and outlined police strategy targeting firearms. He said that the anomaly in the City is that  homicides are inordinately interpersonal. He spoke on factors at play in these homicides and said that solutions had to target underlying causes. o The Chair thanked Chief Hawkins and asked speakers about getting guns off of the street.  SAC Tremaroli introduced himself and spoke on trends in law enforcement concerns. He spoke on intelligence- and resource-sharing among law enforcement agencies.  Commander Schager spoke on addressing illegal firearms by continuing current police work, including interdiction, utilizing shared resources, and increasing the amount officers available for enforcement. He spoke on the need for smart legislation to deter illegal firearm use and trafficking.  Sheriff Apple spoke on increasing collaboration between law enforcement agencies. He said that interdiction was the key to taking guns off the street. He spoke on violence as a public health issue. He spoke on tools available to law enforcement agencies to address violence and stressed the importance of investing in and connecting people with services and programs beyond law enforcement to help prevent violent crime. He spoke on hiring challenges.  The Chair thanked Sheriff Apple and recognized SAC Tremaroli.  SAC Tremaroli spoke on proactive and reactive responses to violence. He said that proactive measures included contacting law enforcement to help intercept firearms in the hands of individuals who are prohibited from possessing them. o The Chair asked whether the City had a Crime Stoppers program, to which Deputy Chief Foley responded.  Deputy Chief Foley spoke on APD’s practice of analyzing responses and deploying crisis intervention or social workers to flagged addresses.  The Chair recognized Sheriff Apple.  Sheriff Apple spoke on making community members aware of the Albany County Threat Assessment Coordination Team, which works to share information on potential offenders to steer individuals toward a variety of resources. He said that the group’s success depended on public help. o The Chair recognized Council Member Romero. o Council Member Romero asked SAC Tremaroli for information on federal efforts to curb interstate gun trafficking, to which SAC Tremaroli responded with information on tracing firearms and sharing investigative information between law enforcement agencies.  Council Member Romero thanked SAC Tremaroli. o The Chair recognized Council Member Frederick. o Council Member Frederick thanked speakers and asked Chief Hawkins whether APD monitors popular neighborhood surveillance apps like the Ring and Nextdoor, to which Deputy Chief Foley responded with information on APD’s practices involving the apps. He specified that a police report is not taken solely from the app and stated that residents must reach out to police to file a report.  Council Member Frederick said that the information on monitoring versus reporting was useful.  Deputy Chief Foley shared more information on APD’s use of the apps.  Council Member Frederick thanked Deputy Chief Foley.  Commander Schager spoke on monitoring social media content versus receiving tips from individuals.  Council Member Frederick shared observations on the use of popular apps as sites for community discourse on suspicious activity. o Council Member Frederick asked Chief Hawkins about APD’s process for hiring new social workers, to which Chief Hawkins responded that APD is in the process of hiring a manager to have in place as social workers are hired. He said that APD’s goal was to have social workers available 24/7 and said that once a needs assessment was complete, capacity could be tailored to match needs.   Council Member Frederick thanked Chief Hawkins. o The Chair recognized Council Member Kimbrough. o Council Member Kimbrough asked Chief Hawkins whether social workers would be stationed in-house versus responding to issues, to which Chief Hawkins responded that social workers would be stationed in-house. He said that the program could evolve into a co-responding model but that current need was at APD stations, where residents have been walking in and receiving information on resources that sometimes go unused.  Council Member Kimbrough thanked Chief Hawkins.  Deputy Chief Foley spoke on the upcoming street-treatment program as a separate initiative.  Council Member Kimbrough asked Deputy Chief Foley about where social workers will be housed within stations, to which Deputy Chief Foley responded that planning was still in progress.  Council Member Kimbrough spoke on the importance of maintaining residents’ comfort inside APD stations, to which Deputy Chief Foley responded that once managers were in place, the program would be rolled out more sustainably.  Chief Hawkins spoke on other resources including the Albany Community Police Advisory Committee and outreach including discussions on making stations accessible to members of the public to help promote engagement.  Council Member Kimbrough thanked Chief Hawkins and Deputy Chief Foley. o Council Member Hoey asked Sheriff Apple about the Albany County Crisis Officials Responding and Diverting pilot program, to which Sheriff Apple responded with information on the program. He described the program’s operations from call to responses by deputies and then emergency medical technicians and social workers. He said that the program had great successes and shared that he would like to see the program expand county-wide to help assist in coordination. He said that the program required resources and staffing but said that it was effective.  Council Member Hoey asked Sheriff Apple about federal and state grant funding for the program, to which Sheriff Apple responded that reaching out to elected officials for funding was useful. o The Chair recognized Council Member Romero. o Council Member Romero asked Chief Hawkins about the feasibility study to expand ACCORD-like programming in the City, to which Chief Hawkins responded that a working group had begun meeting to discuss the program.  Council Member Romero asked Chief Hawkins for clarification on the working group, to which Chief Hawkins responded. He said that challenges existed but that the program was viable and could be implemented in the near future. o The Chair recognized Council Member Balarin. o Council Member Balarin thanked speakers and asked them whether they were aware of policies that had helped address violence in other municipalities. He asked speakers how law enforcement agencies identified high-risk individuals.  Commander Schager spoke on New York State’s firearms regulations.  Sherriff Apple said that issues often pointed back to households. He said that a combination of public health and policy issues had emboldened individuals to take violent action. He asked Council Member Balarin for clarification.  Council Member Balarin clarified that he was open to all legal solutions.  Sherriff Apple spoke on the AC-TAC Team and shared the importance of building trust with individuals willing to cooperate with law enforcement. He said that responses could include social workers or police. He said that penalties at the state level needed to be stiffened and stated that individuals had been emboldened to take violent action. He said that attitudes needed to change at all levels and spoke on the need to engage young people.   Chief Hawkins said that he understood public perceptions of crime. He spoke on the need to share information on efforts that have been successful to change narratives around violence in the city.  Council Member Balarin thanked speakers and asked them whether additional resources could be put toward targeting potential offenders.  Deputy Chief Foley spoke on current APD practices, including analyzing calls for service, tracking law enforcement contact, and monitoring social media use. He said that if officers had a definitive answer to Council Member Balarin’s question, there would be no need for the meeting. He said that intelligence sharing was an essential tool.  Sheriff Apple spoke on ACS’s practice of analyzing data from corrections facilities to help identify potential- and repeat-offenders.  Council Member Balarin thanked speakers. o Council Member Kimbrough said that law enforcement agencies were being asked to predict the future. He said that agencies were putting resources where they knew to put them. He spoke on changing social mores. o Council Member Hoey spoke on the Council’s role in legislating in the City and advocating for polices at multiple levels of government. He asked speakers whether they thought firearm safety courses were worth pursuing at the local level.  Deputy Chief Foley said that any education on firearm safety and the consequences of using firearms was welcome. He shared personal experiences and spoke on programming starting as early as third through fifth grade. o The Chair recognized Council Member Balarin. o Council Member Balarin asked speakers whether they could gather data on offenses that have been impacted by state legislation like Raise the Age and Bail Reform.  Sheriff Apple spoke on issues that have accompanied state legislation, including a lack of resources related to facilities and services that were supposed to have accompanied Raise the Age.  Deputy Chief Foley spoke on following up with City of Albany-specific data.  Council Member Romero cautioned holding this data against Raise the Age’s legislative intent. She said that in upstate New York, the resources that should have accompanied the legislation’s passage had not been delivered.  Council Member Balarin spoke on a recent homicide and said that his desire was to consider all policy options. o The Chair recognized Council Member Frederick. o Council Member Frederick asked Deputy Chief Foley for information on a recent shooting, about which Deputy Chief Foley asked for clarification.  Council Member Balarin spoke on a recent shooting.  Deputy Chief Foley provided clarification.  Council Member Frederick spoke on the need for specificity.  Council Member Balarin clarified his remarks.  Deputy Chief Foley provided further clarification on recent homicides.  The Chair thanked the speakers. Adjourn: The Chair adjourned the meeting at 7:08 PM. Respectfully Submitted, Max Thierry Junior Policy Analyst Albany Common Council