Hello, Collar City! This is Issue 40, dated June 21, 2019.



Hey, Trojans (and non-Trojans who nonetheless are interested in this city). In this issue: a city council roundup, a newly discovered EMT-tent requirement for large events, a name for a new building, and more.



Nearly 160 readers make small, monthly contributions



In addition, TL's pilot sponsorship tier now has three members: CivMix, it's where it's at; Antique White Properties, defining modern apartment living and rehab projects in historic downtown Troy; and Enigmatic Escapes, Troy's first escape room.



Thank you all for your interest in and support of this ongoing experiment in local news!

In this issue: a city council roundup, a newly discovered EMT-tent requirement for large events, a name for a new building, and more.Nearly 160 readers make small, monthly contributions to support Troy Letter via Patreon In addition, TL's pilot sponsorship tier now has three members:, it's where it's at;, defining modern apartment living and rehab projects in historic downtown Troy; and, Troy's first escape room.Thank you all for your interest in and support of this ongoing experiment in local news!

City Council Roundup

The city council public safety committee met for the first time this year to question police chief Brian Owens on a range of topics, including the yet-to-be-implemented body-worn camera program and unfilled vacancies.



The police department's body-worn camera pilot program, announced by the mayor's office last month, likely won't start for "months," the chief said. A draft policy governing the program is largely complete and will be shaped further by the respective vendor the city eventually chooses. The full BWC program will cost about $200,000 per year, which covers the equipment itself (100 cameras) and associated costs, like cloud storage, the chief said.



Regarding the department's seven current vacancies, the chief spoke about the same sorts of difficulties that the mayor talked about in TL39: namely, the considerable amount of time it takes to on-board new hires and the competitive recruitment environment. Candidates who take and pass the



Homicides, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, and motor-vehicle theft—so-called Part 1 crimes—have mostly decreased this year in Troy to date compared with a past five year average (only rape has increased), the chief said. "My fear is that as we focus too heavily on statistics that we're missing, 'Do people feel safe?' Because that is something we can't capture in a number." Data I found on the state Division of Criminal Justice Services's website don't appear to be as recently updated as data the chief referenced, but I've nonetheless



A finance committee meeting followed the public safety committee meeting. The most-discussed item, though it will not be formally introduced until the July regular meeting, was a charter amendment proposed by council president Carmella Mantello and council member Jim Gulli that, if adopted by the council and subsequently approved by voters in a November referendum, would block the mayor and city council "from taking any action designating Troy as a Sanctuary City or establishing policies that would be commensurate with Troy being a Sanctuary City."



Proposed charter amendments require three public hearings before the council votes on the matter. Mantello said the hearings would be held this summer at city hall, in Lansingburgh, and in the Eastside neighborhood or South Troy, respectively.



The potential law,



"Well, I think most importantly it's the resolution that was sponsored by a couple of council members here," Mantello said. "The way I read the resolution, it curtails some of the powers of our police force." She added that "a sanctuary city essentially will not allow our police officers to contact ICE should they need to."



The , including the yet-to-be-implemented body-worn camera program and unfilled vacancies.the chief said. A draft policy governing the program is largely complete and will be shaped further by the respective vendor the city eventually chooses. The full BWC program will cost about $200,000 per year, which covers the equipment itself (100 cameras) and associated costs, like cloud storage, the chief said. According to the Times Union , after the committee meeting, the chief said that "the program won't move forward until talks are conducted between the city’s labor attorneys and the Troy Police Benevolent Association about the use of the cameras.": namely, the considerable amount of time it takes to on-board new hires and the competitive recruitment environment. Candidates who take and pass the just-announced , open competitive exam for the police officer position on Sept. 14 (the last day to submit an application form is July 26), for instance, will likely not be fully out on patrol until March 2020 because of the tests candidates must undergo before and after a conditional job offer is made and the timing of twice-yearly police academy start dates. In the last few weeks, the city has interviewed five candidates (four on an existing list, and one potential lateral transfer from another agency), the chief said.(only rape has increased), the chief said. "My fear is that as we focus too heavily on statistics that we're missing, 'Do people feel safe?' Because that is something we can't capture in a number." Data I found on the state Division of Criminal Justice Services's website don't appear to be as recently updated as data the chief referenced, but I've nonetheless uploaded relevant pages here (you'll need to rotate them) if you'd like to take a closer look.The most-discussed item, though it will not be formally introduced until the July regular meeting, was a charter amendment proposed by council president Carmella Mantello and council member Jim Gulli that, if adopted by the council and subsequently approved by voters in a November referendum, would block the mayor and city council "from taking any action designating Troy as a Sanctuary City or establishing policies that would be commensurate with Troy being a Sanctuary City."Proposed charter amendments require three public hearings before the council votes on the matter. Mantello said the hearings would be held this summer at city hall, in Lansingburgh, and in the Eastside neighborhood or South Troy, respectively.The potential law, at least in the iteration included in Thursday's agenda packet , does not provide a definition of sanctuary city or specify the policies the proposed law would ban. Council member T.J. Kennedy asked Mantello on Thursday night to provide her definition of "sanctuary city.""Well, I think most importantly it's the resolution that was sponsored by a couple of council members here," Mantello said. "The way I read the resolution, it curtails some of the powers of our police force." She added that "a sanctuary city essentially will not allow our police officers to contact ICE should they need to."The sanctuary city resolution introduced by council member David Bissember, tabled since December, appears to allow the police department to work with ICE but only under certain circumstances. Here's its last "resolved" section, for instance:

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City of Troy Police Department shall not engage, assist or support immigration enforcement except as follows: i. In response to an articulated, direct threat to life or public safety; or ii. When such services are required to safely execute a criminal warrant or court order issued by a state or federal court; or iii. Where it has been demonstrated that a state or federal statute or regulation require local law enforcement cooperation.





Given the council's current composition, the not-yet-introduced local law, in order to become the subject of a citywide referendum, would need at least two Democrats to join with its two Republican sponsors in voting for it, which seems improbable. Council members Coleen Paratore and David Bissember said Thursday they wouldn't be voting for the proposed local law.



Bissember said a goal of the tabled sanctuary city resolution was to help residents feel more comfortable reporting crimes and cooperating with local law enforcement. "People are afraid to talk to police...if they think that that could lead to their deportation," he said.



The



The finance committee approved a package of transfers within the 2019 general fund that included within the police department a reduction of $150,000 in salaries ("caused by vacancies," per an accompanying memo) and an attendant increase in overtime (by $110,000, bringing the new total to $1,060,000) and confidential funds (by $40,000, bringing the new total to $62,500). Confidential funds, the chief explained during the public safety committee meeting in response to a question from council member Anasha Cummings, are used by the department's drug unit for undercover purchases and to help fund gun buyback events (



The finance committee also approved several new or revised policies/procedures suggested by the city comptroller's office, including a credit card policy for the police department. "The Police Department has had their own credit cards for years within the City; however a written policy for internal controls and reporting was never completed," according to a memo accompanying the ordinance.

Kennedy asked more pointedly how Mantello might define "sanctuary city" in the proposed local law, to which she responded: "We'll make sure that counsel actually puts the clear definition of a sanctuary city in that law, if you want."Given the council's current composition, the not-yet-introduced local law, in order to become the subject of a citywide referendum, would need at least two Democrats to join with its two Republican sponsors in voting for it, which seems improbable. Council members Coleen Paratore and David Bissember said Thursday they wouldn't be voting for the proposed local law.Bissember said a goal of the tabled sanctuary city resolution was to help residents feel more comfortable reporting crimes and cooperating with local law enforcement. "People are afraid to talk to police...if they think that that could lead to their deportation," he said.The legal vagueness of the "sanctuary" term is partly why the tabled resolution's supporters "have been working hard to define what [it] means, working with all the stakeholders involved," said Bissember.(by $110,000, bringing the new total to $1,060,000)(by $40,000, bringing the new total to $62,500). Confidential funds, the chief explained during the public safety committee meeting in response to a question from council member Anasha Cummings, are used by the department's drug unit for undercover purchases and to help fund gun buyback events ( like the one held last month that netted 71 guns , "six of which were stolen handguns," the chief said Thursday)., including a credit card policy for the police department. "The Police Department has had their own credit cards for years within the City; however a written policy for internal controls and reporting was never completed," according to a memo accompanying the ordinance.

Other News