By Police1 Staff
ALBANY, N.Y. — University at Albany police say strict policies discourage them from making arrest and writing tickets.
The police union and department officers told The Albany Times Union that policies require officers to focus on patrolling campus buildings on foot instead of patrolling roads in and around the campuses. Some directives prohibit officers from pulling over drivers on their phones or wrong-way drivers on one-way streets, according to the union.
Sources said they must also obtain authorization from command staff before applying for search warrants or when making arrests. Supervisors have the authority to “un-arrest” suspects or deny warrant requests. Some officers said they feel like they’re “high-paid building security guards” rather than police officers.
Police Chief J. Frank Wiley said a lot of policies are from recommendations issued by Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. He said the department “has always functioned within the community policing philosophy ... This is not a change in approach.”
“Good policing is more than just complying with the law,” Wiley said in a statement. “Sometimes actions are permitted by policy, but that does not always mean an officer should take those actions.”
The PD has put a limit on the amount of miles officers can drive while on patrol. Initially, officers were limited to less than 15 miles per shift if patrolling the uptown campus and no more than 20 miles if patrolling downtown. The department recently increased the amount to 25 miles per shift if patrolling uptown and 30 miles if patrolling downtown because officers were frequently going over the limit.
Last month, the police union filed a complaint with the state Public Employment Relations Board alleging the mileage restrictions were implemented after the union filed a grievance regarding the poor condition of the patrol vehicles. The union said the cars would stall regularly, had bald tires and dashboard warning lights would permanently stay on due to poor maintenance.
“Mileage restrictions are intended to increase positive citizen-police contact and to reduce the fear of crime through increased foot patrol and increased visibility in heavily traveled pedestrian areas,” Wiley said. “The mileage restriction has a probable secondary benefit reducing the wear and tear on the vehicle fleet.”
The Times Union reported that some members of the public have raised questions about the policies and whether they represent an effort to keep down arrest numbers. Some officers said the policy changes are inconsistent with the department’s past “no tolerance” approach spurred by an off-campus melee five years ago.
Last week, the NY Police Benevolent Association unanimously voted “no confidence” against Wiley and Deputy Chief Aran C. Mull. The PBA said the department was not only putting the campus at risk, but also the public at large, WAMC reported.
“For instance, when our police officers are directed to ignore a cell phone violation, which for years we’ve been hearing how dangerous that is; when they’re told to ignore a wrong-way driver up a one-way street, which, in a head-on collision could be terribly dangerous, we think that is endangering not just the campus community, but the public at large,” PBA Executive Director Daniel De Federicis said.
University spokesman Michael Parker said in a statement: “The safety of our students, faculty and staff has been and will continue to be the top priority for the University Police Department. The university values the hard work and dedication of our officers, and we will continue to meet with them to discuss their concerns.”
De Federicis said that since the vote, university officials are now working with the police union to improve the situation.