As a resident of Troy and a neighborhood watch leader in
Lansingburgh I am beyond concerned with the surge of petty street level crimes
that continue to spread throughout the city, especially in Lansingburgh. While
the occasional high profile mugging, shooting, robbery, stabbing, and arson
dominate the headlines, it is the street level larcenies, burglaries, and
criminal mischief that continue to cause the most grief for residents.
During the month of December there were 25 larcenies from
vehicles, 7 burglaries, and numerous other infractions in Lansingburgh
alone. It seems that on a daily basis we
are learning of yet another incident. These are becoming too overwhelming.
Residents should not have to worry about whether or not their home or vehicle
will be intact when they wake up in the morning. Just today, January 17, I learned that there have been 11 REPORTED larcenies to vehicles in Lanaingburgh.
What we need are more cops on our streets. A more visible
presence is necessary. The patrol officers that are currently enforcing public
safety are not enough. Patrol officers spend the majority of their shifts
bouncing from call to call in policing zones that stretch for miles.
In Troy there are currently 4 policing zones. Each zone is assigned two patrol cars (one officer in each). Let’s be
honest having just two patrol cars in Lansingburgh's zone 4, which stretches from Hoosick Street north to the
city line, is not feasible anymore. The policing zones need to be expanded and
more patrol officers need to be added to each shift. Back filling “busy” shifts
with officers on overtime is not a prudent use of taxpayer dollars. Reorganizing the cities policing zones adding one or maybe two more would allow for more patrol officers to move about our neighborhoods more often
without the added overtime expense.
Seeing more marked patrols within our communities is just one necessity to deter criminalistic acts. The Street
Crimes Unit or something similar needs to be reinstated - unmarked, plain
clothed officers patrolling the streets on a regular basis. The street level
petty crime that is growing in the city can only be addressed by undercover aggressive
details. These crimes happen in a flash and marked patrols are not too effective
on sneaking up on them while in progress. This tactic worked in the past why not
again?
If anyone has been paying attention to the crimes that are happening throughout Troy you will realize they are very aggressive in nature. For those who make the argument that aggressive policing isnt the answer than you need to wake up and smell the coffee. Passive policing tactics as those implemented by City Hall are laughed at by the criminals and this is demonstrated by there continuation of their acts.
Let's remember that the winter season is the "quiet time" for crime, if the current trend continues, unchecked, we are in for a hair raising spring/summer.
Understanding the current crime situation in Troy leads one
to ask why hasn’t these or similar tactics already been implemented? I’m sure
someone knows the answer. That’s why recently when the Democrats on the City
Council voted to add a Police Commissioner for $30,000 it puzzled me. Why would a newly created
position that has NO bearing on actually increasing
public safety be implemented instead of finding ways to put more cops on the street?
Why not invest in cops or in initiatives to address these quality-of-life crimes? In 2012, the
police chief introduced a program to reduce the number of larcenies from
vehicles. This program is already being utilized in several Upstate NY
communities, including Buffalo and Rochester, and has significantly reduced
these types of crimes by over 40%. Instead of supporting the chief the Democrats
City Council shot down the proposal.
Residents are searching for answers – and this city government is not providing them. More specifically in Lansingburgh we have no advocate, other than ourselves and we are left to fend and seek our own solutions. These crimes are happening in sections of
Lansingburgh that would never see a stitch of crime in the past. We need to reverse the
trend of losing Lansingburgh block-by-block.
Here is what several residents in Southerner Lansingburgh seen when they went out to their vehicles his Monday morning.
County Executive Kathy Jimino has announced that Rensselaer County, through its STOP-DWI program, will once again be providing its "SAFE RIDE" program to help prevent the tragedies that can occur when an individual chooses to drive drunk. 
The “SAFE RIDE” program will help provide partygoers free and safe transportation home. Under the Safe Ride program, the County will partner with Netters Fund to provide partygoers free transportation within Rensselaer County from bars and restaurants to their homes only, on a first call first served basis. Netters Fund will once again partner with the County by supplementing the operation with free transportation by local cab companies from participating bars and restaurants. For a list of Netters Fund bars and restaurants please visit www.netters.us 
It's been a busy, but very rewarding and moving week for the Lansingburgh community. It's a magical time of year and there is no shortage of good will, heart warming stories. We had our own moments in Lansingburgh over this past week that brought a smile to many a young persons face and a moment of community spirit and solidarity as our nation faced evil once again. 
Earlier in the week we hosted a holiday pizza party at the Whitney Young Health Services Troy facility for approximately 70 children, their families, and one very special guest. The special guest was none other than Santa Claus himself. Santa was there to take photos and chat with the kids and to also distribute toys. Excitement and smiles filled the room as Santa announced each of their names and they came running up to sit on his lap and receive there holiday gift. This was the 5th consecutive year that Santa has made this journey to spread the Christmas cheer. The kids of Whitney Young benefited from the overwhelming generosity of the Lansingburgh community. This years holiday toy drive collected a bounty of toys that valued over $2,300! 
Additionally, nearly 200 toys were also gifted to youth at the Lansingburgh Boys and Girls Club, who hosted a similar pizza party on Friday to distribute the toys. Cathy Conroy of the LBGC also mentioned to me that the Club has begun to receive phone calls from people throughout the community seeking their assistance to provide a special Christmas for their children. 
Yesterday evening the Lansingburgh community came out to support a more somber cause. A candlelight vigil was held at the September 11th Memorial to mark the one week anniversary of the tragic school shooting in Newtown, CT. Over 40 members of the community came and joined Father John Kelly of Trinity Church for a moment of reflection, prayer, and remembrance. People lit candles in the blustery cold winter night and released a single white balloon for each victim of the shooting as their names were read. The vigil also provided people an opportunity to donate to the relief fund for Sandy Hook. 
