Ready, set, fire
The sight of a law enforcement officer should be a reassuring one, unless, of course, you’re a criminal. But even lawabiding residents of and visitors to Schenectady County and the city of Schenectady might be excused for feeling nervous when they see a badge or flashing red light.
We’re not talking about one or two bad apples. We’re talking about a city police force that has had far too many instances of on- and off-duty misconduct, and a sheriff’s department that has let go of dozens of employees in recent years for bad behavior. This does no one any good — not upstanding officers who have to deal with the stain their colleagues leave on the image of their department and law enforcement; not honest citizens who fear those entrusted to keep them safe; and not taxpayers, who are footing the bill for this.
The latest tab comes courtesy of some Schenectady police officers, then-lt. Mark Mccracken and officer Andrew Macdonald, who were accused in a lawsuit of slamming a woman’s head onto a bench while she was handcuffed, an incident caught on a security camera. The city is poised to settle for $360,000; insurance will cover only $260,000. Both officers remain on the force, though Mr. Mccracken was demoted and put on desk duty.
Over at the county jail, Sheriff Dominic Dagostino estimates that in the eight years he held office, he has fired or otherwise forced out about 50 employees who ran afoul of the law. The latest was Robert Sala, who resigned last week after he was arrested on burglary and petit larceny charges stemming from a July 16 incident in Colonie.
Sheriff Dagostino doesn’t seem terribly concerned about having had onefourth of his department go bad — a track record no doubt the result of his hiring people, including deputies, with troubled pasts that include violent behavior. As the sheriff tells it, he’s been willing to give people who may have made a onetime mistake a second chance. He also notes that most of the problems involve off-duty behavior.
That’s hardly a comforting distinction. These are people who act with the law behind them and wield extraordinary power over citizens’ daily lives. Police and correction officers must be ready — mentally and emotionally as well as physically — to deal with stressful situations, where their temperament and self-control can make all the difference. They’ll be tempted by corruption, too. People who have failed real-life tests of stability and character, on the job or off, do not belong in these jobs.
All this is further reason for the state Legislature to revisit Section 50-a of the state’s civil rights law, which was intended to keep police disciplinary records from being used to unfairly impugn their testimony in court, but has been so broadly interpreted by courts that it’s now used to block release of almost any information on police and corrections officers’ misconduct.
And the Schenectady County Sheriff and Schenectady Police Department need to take a fresh look at their hiring and disciplinary policies. We’re all for rehabilitation and second chances. But that doesn’t include putting a badge on someone’s chest and a gun or a billy club in their hand.