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Albany police outline staffing, training and outreach; department reports recent crime and dispatch metrics
Summary
At the April 10 public safety committee meeting, Albany's police chief briefed members on recruitment, retention, department structure, community programs and quarterly metrics. The chief said the department is funded for 26 sworn officers and is down two positions.
The Albany Police Chief briefed the Standing Committee for Public Safety on April 10, describing department organization, staffing challenges, community programs and recent activity statistics.
The chief said the department is funded for 26 sworn officers and is currently short two sworn positions. The department is organized into operations and support divisions, runs four patrol teams on 12-hour shifts, and maintains a dispatch center that also dispatches for Kensington. The chief described a hiring process that emphasizes cultural fit and uses liaison officers to help applicants through background checks and field training.
On programs and outreach, the chief highlighted Coffee with a Cop, park-and-walks, the Albany Police Activities League (APAL) support and an elderly education program. The department recently deployed Flock cameras and is exploring a community academy and additional technology to support crime prevention. The department also purchased sensory "Carter" kits to assist officers when interacting with people who have autism and maintains stuffed animals for children on calls.
Training requirements and metrics were also discussed. The chief said the state requires 24 hours of training every two years for officers. From January through March the department reported 117 property crimes, 20 violent crimes, 1,202 dispatch calls handled, 1,755 extra patrols or security checks, 449 reports processed, 273 citations issued, 56 collisions and 12 community engagement events. The department sent officers to 13 training courses during the period.
Committee members asked about staff mental health supports. The chief described an employee assistance program (EAP), a peer support team and a chaplain, and said the department mandates post-incident debriefs and peer support after critical incidents. On complaints, the chief said, "I don't think so. Offhand, no," when asked whether there had been complaints against the department in 2025 so far.
The chief also acknowledged community interest in greening the fleet but said electric police vehicles require infrastructure and industry-standard equipment that is not yet broadly available or fully compatible with police outfitting.
