Albany arrest-diversion program favors fewer - and whiter - residents
Is a policing reform initiative failing to address racial disparities?
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Black residents account for only 34% of the people diverted into an alternative treatment program called Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion. (Cathleen F. Crowley & Eduardo Medina / Times Union)Cathleen F. Crowley/Eduardo Medina/Times UnionShow MoreShow Less
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A year after Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins was sworn in, the number of people diverted through LEAD dropped from 87 in 2018 to 35 in 2019. Now, data shows the program has been falling short of fulfilling a core mission: addressing racial disparities. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)Lori Van Buren/Albany Times UnionShow MoreShow Less
Albany police reform picture begins to appear
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ALBANY – The first signs of how the city plans to re-imagine its police department were released Friday.
The city posted the draft report from the Community Safety and Restorative Justice group, one of the five working groups that make up the Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative on Friday afternoon. The remaining four reports were posted Friday evening.
Brenda Robinson, the working group’s chair, said its members worked hard to familiarize themselves with piles of documents, different issues in the criminal justice system and to absorb the community’s input. The challenge was putting it all together in a short-time frame in a way that served the community, she added.