By Eden Stratton
The Record, Troy, N.Y.
TROY, N.Y. — The Troy City Council unanimously approved a $586,727 Gun Involved Violence Elimination, or GIVE, grant during its recent meeting amid some residents’ concerns regarding a $9,000 appropriation to a public records program.
The software program, known as Consolidated Lead Evaluation and Reporting, or CLEAR, compiles public records that can be searched in one location. Police Chief Dan DeWolf said the CLEAR program makes it easier for law enforcement to search for records in order to do their jobs, and the department has been using it for about a year.
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“It’s consolidated so that you don’t have to go to the county clerk for this and go to some other place for this…It’s all there,” he said. “It makes it more efficient.”
DeWolf added that only five officers have access to the system. The other monies from the nearly $600,000 grant will go to hiring three new officers, who will focus on gun crimes.
The GIVE initiative, which is administered under the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, provides funding for equipment, personnel, and strategies to reduce firearm-related crime.
A few residents raised concerns regarding the CLEAR program. Resident Frances Sweet said she wanted to see more guardrails regarding the system.
“How far does that go? Where does that end? Who is an affiliate, etc.?,” she said. “I think there needs to be guardrails if this is a new thing, if this is an old thing — it also needs some guardrails.”
Fellow resident Greg Lyons said he also had concerns about the use of the technology, especially in the midst of recent controversies involving Flock Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs).
“If you have the same concerns with Flock that I do — AI-driven systems, data collection and retention, third-party vendors without accountability — you should also be concerned,” he said. “We have more of the same here for the police, and still no accountability, no oversight, no transparency.”
Mayor Carmella Mantello, a Republican, reaffirmed her support for the CLEAR program and said it’s a key tool for law enforcement. The administration added that the department doesn’t subscribe to any AI functions with the program, and only has the most basic version.
“The Troy Police Department utilizes the CLEAR Investigation Solution as one of many investigative tools available to detectives,” she said in a statement. “CLEAR is a well-established technology that has been used by law enforcement agencies and private businesses across the country for many years.”
“It allows investigators to quickly access and organize publicly available information into comprehensive reports, helping verify information, develop leads, and support investigations,” she added. “While it is just one tool in the investigative process, CLEAR enhances the Troy Police Department’s ability to continue protecting our community and helps keep the City of Troy and its residents safe.”
Council president Sue Steele, a Democrat, also said that CLEAR only compiles public records and can’t be compared to Flock.
“The Troy Police use CLEAR is nothing like Flock,” she said. “The data they use is not shared outside of the police department; it’s a look-up tool. It’s public records, and it allows them to capture that information quickly in a search capacity. It’s all publicly available documents in a handy format for them to use.”
Steele added that she understands where residents are coming from with their concerns.
“I appreciate their concerns, but this is nothing like Flock,” she said. “It’s an internal format used by the police department. It’s not shared. It’s not accessible to anyone else.”
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