Document Albany_doc_5fdfb68488

Final Report DECEMBER 2020 RACIAL BIAS AUDIT OF THE ALBANY, NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT Zoë Thorkildsen, Bridgette Bryson, and William “Bill” Taylor ---PAGE BREAK--- 78 Appendix C: Table of findings and recommendations The below table is a list of findings and recommendations noted in the report. Along with each finding, we have designated a suggested timeframe for APD to implement the recommendation(s). Each designation is defined as: • Short-term: Implementation is to be completed within 3 months. • Medium-term: Implementation is to be completed within 1 year. • Long-term: Implementation is to be completed within 2 years. Also included in the table is a designation of required resources to aid the APD in implementation of each recommendation. The categories are listed below. • Funding • Training • Personnel • Technology • Research and analysis • Policy • Community outreach • Organizational change It is important to note that technology includes physical technology, software, and IT resources and refers to new purchases, changes, and upgrades. ---PAGE BREAK--- 79 Finding No. Finding Recommendation Suggested timeline Required resources 1 APD does not collect race data for all traffic stops and does not include variables beyond date, time, address, age, sex, and sometimes race in their traffic stop databases. 1.1 APD should revise their traffic stop data collection protocols to achieve the following objectives: • Consolidate all traffic stops into a single data system • Collect driver race data for all traffic stops, as it is collected for stops ending in warnings and arrests • Record stop start and end time • Record stop latitude and longitude • Record the reason for the stop in a closed response (dropdown menu) format • Record the reason for the citation or the arrest, as applicable, in a closed response (dropdown or checkbox menu) format • Record whether a search was performed during the stop, the type of search consent search, search incident to arrest, search under plain view doctrine, inventory search during vehicle impoundment), and whether a seizure resulted from the search Medium-term Technology 2 APD’s traffic stop activity has decreased substantially in the last five years. 2.1 APD should assess why traffic stop activity has decreased by more than half in the past five years and ensure the department is being responsive to community concerns about traffic safety and enforcement. Medium-term Research and analysis 3 The majority of APD traffic stops result in a citation. 3.1 APD should review traffic stop policies and procedures and assess implementing an education-based approach to traffic enforcement that emphasizes warnings over citations. Medium-term Policy 4 APD’s “other” call type category represents a substantial number of calls, and APD has 48 categories 4.1 APD should analyze calls categorized under the “other” category and determine whether these calls should have been included in existing categories and whether additional categories are needed to capture information from these calls. Medium-term Technology, Research and analysis ---PAGE BREAK--- 80 with fewer than 100 calls over five years. 4.2 APD should consider whether relatively low use call types (representing less than 20 calls per year on average) could be consolidated with other call types, such as the “other” category. Medium-term Technology, Research and analysis 5 Community members have concerns about disparate arrests for quality of life issues and resisting arrest charges. 5.1 APD should review all incidents involving resisting arrest charges or allegations, including a thorough review of body-worn camera footage, with particular attention to potential racial disparities. If necessary, APD should issue additional guidance and training about the use of the resisting arrest charge to ensure it is being used correctly. Medium-term Research and analysis 5.2 APD should review procedures on quality of life issues and ensure that no disparate actions are being taken against minority communities. Medium-term Research and analysis 6 Patrol officers are aware of policy related to high-risk stops (stops in which the officer knows or reasonably believes the driver or other vehicle occupants are armed and dangerous); however, some lack experience in these particular events.. 6.1 APD should have patrol supervisors discuss high-risk stops on a regular basis at roll call to ensure that new and veteran officers are consistently receiving a refresher on protocol. Short-term Training 7 APD conducts evaluations when their Emergency Services Team (EST) is deployed. 7.1 APD should implement a system in which larger and more high-profile operations are evaluated by an outside evaluator who did not participate in the operation. Long-term Research and analysis, Funding 8 APD has fully deployed BWCs to patrol personnel and is in the process of deploying BWCs to detective personnel. 8.1 APD should continue its practices related to BWC use and activation for patrol and traffic safety personnel. Not applicable 8.2 APD should roll out BWCs in the detective unit as efficiently and expeditiously as possible. Short-term Technology 9 No policy guidance covers how officers are to use the live stream feature on their BWCs. 9.1 APD should clearly state in General Order 3.2.15 Body Worn Cameras how and when the Axon View should be used for live streaming purposes. Short-term Policy ---PAGE BREAK--- 81 10 APD BWC policy lacks established compliance and auditing procedures. 10.1 The supervisory review of BWC footage should be a randomized process in which the supervisors are given the exact videos they are to review. Short-term Policy 10.2 APD should consider adding language to their BWC policy stating that officers are to tag their videos immediately after a call before moving on to a future call. Short-term Policy 11 Towing and removing vehicles in the City that are abandoned are the sole responsibilities of a small unit. 11.1 APD should consider shifting duties to the traffic unit for the removal of abandoned/junk vehicles to ensure more time for the NEU beat officers to engage with their community. Medium-term Policy, Organizational change 12 APD personnel do not have a clear understanding of the complaint process. 12.1 APD should clearly define the process of informing department employees of complaints against them and their required actions and associated rights. Medium-term Training 12.2 APD should clearly define the process for officers to deliver internal complaints when the complaint is within their chain of command. Medium-term Policy 13 APD would benefit from including additional fields in their complaint database to facilitate more sophisticated analysis of the complaint process and outcomes and allow the identification of potential disparities in complaint adjudication. 13.1 APD should add a field in the complaint database to indicate the allegation type, severity, and specific corrective action taken in response to sustained complaint allegations. Medium-term Technology 14 APD’s policy on the investigation of complaints does not include definitions for “office case” and “satisfied” outcomes. 14.1 APD should revise General Order 2.4.05 to include definitions for the office case and satisfied outcomes. Short-term Policy 15 APD’s policies for discipline are clearly described in its 15.1 APD should develop a discipline matrix to ensure disciplinary decisions are fair and equitable for all personnel. Medium-term Policy ---PAGE BREAK--- 82 General Orders, include detailed processes and procedures, and include non- punitive options, progressive disciplinary consequences, and an appeals process. However, APD does not include a disciplinary matrix in the policy. 15.2 APD should regularly analyze discipline decisions in comparison with presumptive discipline options in the matrix and determine whether disparities emerge with respect to discipline based on officer ethnicity, race, or gender. Medium-term Research and analysis 16 APD uses a Personnel Early Warning System (PEWS) to support employees using non- disciplinary referrals to incorporate positive correction actions to address performance issues before they become critical. 16.1 APD should review the current list of five indicators included in PEWS against best practices and peer agencies and consider expanding the list to include additional indicators that are less serious and may reflect stress and mental health early indicators, such as lateness or absenteeism and assaults or injuries on the job. During this review, APD should also consider consolidating or redefining indicators that overlap; for example, citizen complaints and use of force incidents that generate an internal affairs investigation and result in a single incident being counted twice. Long-term Policy, Research and analysis 16.2 APD should review the current threshold values for each indicator against best practices, internal data, and peer agencies’ methods for establishing thresholds. Long-term Policy, Research and analysis 16.3 APD should evaluate the effectiveness of PEWS interventions by tracking employee performance on relevant indicators after the officer receives counseling, training, or other interventions. APD should consider the use of an external evaluator to perform this analysis and the possibility of publishing the results to contribute to the knowledge base in the field regarding EWS effectiveness. Long-term Research and analysis, Funding 17 APD policy does not specify who investigates allegations of biased policing. 17.1 In General Order 2.4.00 Office of Professional Standards: Duties and Responsibilities, consider adding a statement under Section 1.B that Office of Professional Standards Detectives shall investigate allegations of biased policing. Short-term Policy, Personnel ---PAGE BREAK--- 83 18 Complaints submitted by community members and external parties go through many stages throughout the investigations process. 18.1 APD should review and revise the procedures for intake, investigation, and disposition of community complaints to streamline the process. Medium-term Policy 18.2 APD should publicize the complaint process widely so that the community is fully informed about how complaints are handled. Medium-term Community outreach 19 Community members are mistrustful of the APD complaint process. 19.1 APD should work with community leaders to revise the community complaint process to foster an environment in which community members feel safe filing a complaint and know that they will receive regular updates as well as notice of the final disposition of the complaint. Medium-term Community outreach 19.2 APD should follow up on “office case” and “satisfied” dispositions carefully to ensure that the community member who submitted the complaint is notified of that disposition and its definition, and does not expect further action. Medium-term Policy, Community outreach 20 All personnel should exhibit professional behavior at all times. 20.1 Change the language in General Order 2.2.15 Harassment in the Workplace to remove the requirement that a co-worker must be present. Short-term Policy 21 APD’s Use of Force Core Principles lacks specificity on whether force is justified when an officer or bystander’s life could be in danger. 21.1 APD should consider revising General Order 1.3.00 Use of Force – Lethal Weapons with the following changes: • Under Section I.A.1.a, “The suspect is acting or threatening to cause death or serious physical injury to the officer or others.” • Under Section I.A.1.a, “The suspect has the means or instrumentalities to injure an officer or others.” • Under Section I.A.1.a, “The suspect has the opportunity and ability to use the means of instrumentalities to cause death or serious physical injury.” • Under Section I.A.b.i, “Felony offense involving the infliction of serious physical injury or death.” • Add language to Section I.A.c to include the suspect threatening to cause death or serious injury to the officer or others, with the means to do so. Short-term Policy ---PAGE BREAK--- 84 22 APD’s current policies allow for the use of orthoclorobenzal malononitrile (CS gas) in response to unlawful assembly and for the purposes of crowd dispersal, with approval from the incident commander overseeing response, after an audible warning of intended use, and with Emergency Medical Services on-site. 22.1 APD should review and revise their policy on the use of CS gas in response to unlawful assembly and for crowd dispersal purposes to align with emerging recommended practices regarding maintaining community trust during protest events. At a minimum, APD should expand this section of policy to clearly enumerate the specific circumstances in which CS gas can or cannot be used for these purposes. Short-term Policy 23 APD’s policies on use of force do not currently include an explicit sanctity of life statement. 23.1 APD should revise GO 1.3.00 Use of Force – Less Lethal Weapons and 1.3.05 Use of Force – Lethal Weapons to include a sanctity of life statement presented clearly under such a header at the beginning of the policy. Short-term Policy 24 APD does not publish annual reports on their use of force incidents. 24.1 APD should produce a summary report annually on the use of force within the department that is publicly available to the entire City of Albany, New York. Medium-term Research and analysis, Community outreach 24.2 APD should revise General Order 1.3.05 Use of Force – Lethal Weapons, section V.A. to include language stating that a summary report for the public on use of force incidents will be available on an annual basis. Medium-term Policy 25 APD codes use of force incidents so that the specific combination of incident, involved officer, type of force, incident of force, and involved community member can be discerned from standardized data fields. 25.1 APD should maintain its practice of documenting use of force incidents at the level of the incident plus the involved officer plus the involved community member. Not applicable ---PAGE BREAK--- 85 26 APD codes only one assessment of community member mental status for use of force incidents, even for incidents involving multiple community members. 26.1 APD should assess each involved community member’s mental status individually using current policy for making these assessments and note each separately in the use of force report. Medium-term Training, Technology 27 APD includes an “other” category for use of force type. 27.1 APD should review use of force incidences coded as “other,” including interviewing involved officers for clarification if necessary, and add new use of force type categories necessary to eliminate the “other” category. Long-term Research and analysis, Technology 28 Some use of force incident narratives are difficult to understand because of vague pronoun references, use of first person, and the lack of officer status designation in the APD use of force database. 28.1 APD should establish guidance for officers writing use of force incident reports, including avoiding the use of pronouns (he or she) in favor of names and eliminating the use of first-person narratives. Medium-term Training 28.2 APD should implement a field in the use of force database to designate each officer by their status as related to the use of force involved officer vs. witness). Medium-term Technology 29 For use of force incidents in which multiple officers are on the scene, APD’s current policy is for a single officer to submit an incident narrative, with other officers on the scene co-signing that narrative. 29.1 APD should revisit its policy of requiring only a single use of force incident narrative submission and consider requiring each officer who used force during the incident to submit an independently generated narrative. Officers involved in the incident as witnesses should co-sign these narratives to indicate they reflect the incident accurately. Short-term Policy 30 Since 2009, the APD has committed to a community policing and engagement philosophy and culture. However, this commitment is not present throughout the 30.1 APD should ensure adequate staffing to prioritize officers’ attendance at community engagement activities. Long-term Personnel 30.2 APD should move towards a philosophy on community policing and engagement that is encouraged and embraced by all department personnel, rather than being conducted only by the NEU. Long-term Training ---PAGE BREAK--- 86 agency, and the community does not feel APD genuinely connects with community members in a substantive manner. There is a clear disconnect between APD’s intentions, policy, and leadership and the experience of the community. 30.3 APD should continue current community policing and engagement efforts with an emphasis on coordinating and prioritizing proactive problem-solving for quality of life issues. APD should ensure officers are trained in and actively implement the SARA model regularly as part of their engagement with the community. Medium-term Training 30.4 APD should increase community policing and engagement training for the entire department. APD should use a combination of in-house and outside contractors to ensure a wide sample of best practices. Medium-term Training, Funding 30.5 APD should develop new community policing strategies beyond pop-up cookouts, coffee with a cop, etc., offering a more formal presence in the community to create rapport with the community. These new efforts should be intertwined with community leaders’ efforts to create a collaborative working environment. Medium-term Community outreach 31 APD’s Vision, Mission, and Core Values, as documented in General Order 1.1.00, do not include an explicit commitment to community policing. 31.1 APD should incorporate community policing philosophy and associated principles explicitly into their Vision, Mission, and Core Values. Short-term Policy 32 APD has a strong commitment to recognizing officers for outstanding achievements. 32.1 APD should continue giving out these two achievement awards to continue working towards positive engagements with the community. Not applicable 33 The community is under the impression that the NEU is understaffed and has been reduced in staffing and resources recently. 33.1 When staffing levels allow, APD should reassign officers back to the NEU to ensure the unit can fully reach all neighborhoods within the city. Long-term Personnel 33.2 APD should consider combining NEU officers, SROs, and Community Service Officers into a combined unit focused on Community Policing and Engagement under the command of a senior leader and incorporates non-sworn personnel such as case workers, outreach personnel, and victims’ advocates. This Long-term Personnel, Organizational change ---PAGE BREAK--- 87 would provide a pool of officers and additional staff for engagement activities and allow increased assignments outside of the Monday through Friday day shift. 34 The selection process for officers assigned to the NEU lacks a formal structure. 34.1 APD should explore changing the NEU selection process (within the requirements of the collective bargaining agreement) to include community member input, since community members best understand what characteristics they would like to see in their assigned NEU officers. Medium-term Personnel, Community outreach 34.2 APD should review officers currently assigned to the NEU to ensure that all exhibit a clear community orientation and a problem-solving attitude, and are endorsed by the community members they serve. Short-term Personnel 35 APD assigns SROs to the local school district, but this program is under-resourced. Stated SRO roles, per policy, do not include counseling and mentoring or emergency planning and critical incident response. 35.1 APD should ensure that GO 1.2.10 Diversion Programs and other SRO guidance are updated to reflect SROs’ commitment to community policing, youth engagement, and recruiting, and to acknowledge SROs’ role in emergency planning and critical incidents. Short-term Policy 35.2 APD should develop a plan to expand, over time, the number of SROs to meet NASRO’s recommended officer-to- student ratio in served schools. Long-term Personnel 35.3 APD should reconfigure the assignments of officers to assign them according to geographic areas so that some officers can serve multiple schools. Medium-term Personnel 36 SROs do not contribute to the “school-to-prison” pipeline. 36.1 APD should continue to encourage SROs to develop innovative programs to encourage positive student behavior and to minimize their contribution to the school-to-prison pipeline. Medium-term Personnel 37 APD engages in formal youth engagement programs and activities but would benefit from gathering community input on the effectiveness of these programs and engaging 37.1 APD should maintain and, in some cases, revitalize existing youth engagement programs, based on community input. Short-term Personnel 37.2 APD should develop policies to support officers engaging informally with youth, including opportunities out of uniform and in Medium-term Policy, Personnel ---PAGE BREAK--- 88 in informal youth engagement outside of official programs. venues naturally used by youth in the community, such as after- school community center recreation programs. 38 Current LEAD policies and procedures leave the decision to refer eligible individuals to LEAD at the officer’s discretion. 38.1 APD officers should refer all individuals meeting the eligibility criteria and not falling in an exclusion category to LEAD. Short-term Policy 38.2: APD should collect data about LEAD referrals and non- referrals and regularly analyze this data to understand the reasons for non-referrals and the impact of specific exclusion criteria, particularly the criteria that the complainant is willing to decline prosecution. Medium-term Research and analysis 39 Patrol officers recently started conducting 20 minutes of foot patrol on each shift. 39.1 In General Order 3.1.00 Patrol Function under section II, APD should add letter D. A 20-minute foot patrol is required on each shift, as permitted, to engage with the community and strengthen relationships. Short-term Policy 39.2 APD must increase buy-in from officers about this patrol activity to ensure that officers are interacting with the community in a positive way. Short-term Personnel, Training 40 APD has a clear explanation of the difference between protests and civil disturbances and demonstrates a strong emphasis on connecting with leaders of groups planning these events. 40.1 APD should add language to General Order 3.9.05 Pre- planned/High Risk Situations section IV.C.2.a that personnel shall attempt to ascertain the identity of leaders of the protests or civil disturbances. Short-term Policy 40.2 APD should add language to General Order 3.9.05 section IV.C.2.a that states, “Supervisor shall attempt to open lines of communication with the leader of the group to ensure it remains a peaceful protest.” APD should make this change in section III for high-risk situations as well. Short-term Policy 41 APD has a website embedded within the City of Albany’s landing site; however, APD would benefit from a more modern website. 41.1 Depending on IT infrastructure, APD should consider creating its own website. If this is not possible, APD should reconstruct the current landing page on the City of Albany’s site. Long-term Technology 41.2 APD should make the following website content changes: • On the home page, move the mission and vision to the very top to ensure it is the first information that community members see when they visit the website. Medium-term Technology ---PAGE BREAK--- 89 • Under the Administration landing page, APD should include a current organizational chart with names and positions. • Add information about the complaint process, preferably including the option to submit complaints online or via a digital form sent by email. • Add pages to host publicly released reports, such as annual use of force reports, complaint analysis, etc., so they are easily accessible to the public. 41.3 APD should review all data and information on the website and ensure it is up to date and reflects current practices. Short-term Technology 42 APD maintains a documented recruitment plan for full-time sworn personnel, which includes a focus on recruiting individuals from underrepresented demographics and a goal for APD personnel demographics to reflect the community. 42.1 APD should continue to maintain and regularly update their strategic plan for recruitment, with particular attention to the effectiveness of its recruiting strategies. Medium-term Research and analysis 42.2 APD should develop a similar recruitment plan for full-time non-sworn personnel. Medium-term Policy 42.3 APD should develop a publicly releasable version of the annual recruitment plan analysis and make this report available to the community. Medium-term Community outreach 43 Though APD’s recruitment plan emphasizes recruiting members of racial or ethnic minority groups, personnel demographics do not reflect community demographics. This lack of representation may be partly due to disparities in the hiring process. 43.1 The City of Albany should explore options locally and at the state level to implement a diversity preference for hiring, including the possibility of moving away from the civil service hiring system and petitioning for a change in state legislation. Long-term Policy 43.2 APD should implement a system or database to track applications and applicant progress through the hiring process and analyze this data annually to identify racial, ethnic, or gender-based disparities at each stage of the hiring process. If such disparities are identified, APD should investigate the root causes and, if possible, implement programs to ameliorate those disparities. In particular, community members expressed concerns about applicants from ethnic or racial minority groups failing to meet the Short-term Technology, Policy ---PAGE BREAK--- 90 physical fitness requirements at a disparate rate. APD could address this proactively by providing additional training or other options to prepare applicants for the test. 43.3 APD should disclose the diversity of the department to the public on an annual basis to promote transparency. Medium-term Community outreach 44 APD does not currently track data on promotion applications or applicants and promotion decisions in a formal system or database. 44.1 APD should establish a system to collect and retain data about the promotional process, including applicants, applicants’ demographic information, relevant data considered for promotion decisions Civil Service Exam results), and outcomes. Short-term Technology, Policy 44.2 APD should analyze promotion data annually to identify racial, ethnic, or gender-based disparities in the promotion process. If such disparities exist, APD should investigate the root causes and, if possible, implement programs to ameliorate those disparities. Medium-term Research and analysis 45 Relationships between supervisors and their officers are very positive. 45.1 APD should continue working towards positive relationships between supervisors and officers, while looking for opportunities for daytime sergeants to interact more with their officers. Not applicable 45.2 Supervisors should continue to routinely review officers’ work and provide constructive feedback. Not applicable 46 APD’s performance evaluation process for sworn and non- sworn personnel remains unclear and does not currently operate according to policy. 46.1 As part of General Order 2.3.05 Performance Evaluations and Career Development, APD should institute a specific procedure for ensuring all employees receive evaluations annually officers receive reviews on their date-of-hire anniversary or all performance evaluations take place at the end of the fiscal year) with a designated command officer responsible for auditing. This will ensure all employees receive a current evaluation. This policy should also address procedures for employees who changed supervisors shortly before performance evaluations take place. Medium-term Policy 46.2 APD should include a designated time period for evaluations of non-sworn full-time employees in General Order 2.3.05 Performance Evaluations and Career Development. Medium-term Policy ---PAGE BREAK--- 91 46.3 On the Performance Evaluation Form, APD should include descriptions of all five choices (Outstanding, Excellent, Good, Needs Improvement, and Unsatisfactory) in the overall performance rating section. Short-term Policy 47 APD personnel are mistrustful of the promotional and specialty assignment process and feel it lacks transparency. This mistrust contributes to difficulty retaining sworn personnel. 47.1 APD should develop a completely transparent and open promotional process. If an interview board is used, a clear explanation of topics covered and evaluation criteria used should be posted in advance. Any selection that deviates from the current ranking should require a written explanation be supplied to the person(s) skipped over. Medium-term Personnel 47.2 To avoid the appearance of favoritism, APD should consider delegating the oral interview component to a neutral law enforcement agency of similar demographics. Detail this change in General Order 2.3.10 Promotional Process in section I.F.3.a. Long-term Policy 47.3 APD should develop a completely transparent and open specialty assignment process that is disseminated in advance. APD should post the ranking of candidates, and individual evaluations should be supplied to applicants. APD should update General Order 1.2.15 Specialized Assignments as necessary to reflect these procedures. Medium-term Personnel 47.4 APD should consider announcing all openings that occur in specialized units, even if it is not required as part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Short-term Policy, Personnel 47.5 If not already a standard practice, APD should engage in exit interviews with departing personnel. APD should analyze information gathered during exit interviews annually to ascertain whether recurring themes are present in personnel departures, and whether these can be addressed. Short-term Policy, Personnel 48 APD offers educational reimbursements for post- secondary educational expenses to eligible personnel. 48.1 APD should continue to offer educational reimbursements for post-secondary educational expenses. Not applicable 48.2 APD should investigate the possibility of revising the Collective Bargaining Agreement to indicate that the educational Long-term Policy ---PAGE BREAK--- 92 assistance program can be used to assist employees in obtaining a degree. 49 Officers are concerned about their safety and wellness. 49.1 APD should review its health and wellness offerings and update them, as required. Medium-term Policy 49.2 APD should ensure that all employees are aware of the health and wellness offerings provided by the department, including the Employee Assistance Program. Medium-term Personnel 49.3 In General Order 2.3.30 Employee Fitness and Wellness Program, APD should revise policy in section II.C to allow employees to access the wellness facility other than just during their meal period. Medium-term Policy 50 Several APD General Orders require annual analyses of data on internal affairs investigations, use of force, recruitment, allegations of biased policing, and others. 50.1 APD should update all relevant policies to incorporate public release of results (in whole or part) from these annual analyses. Long-term Policy, Community outreach 50.2 APD should ensure that these reports are posted and maintained on the APD website so they are readily accessible to the public. Long-term Community outreach 50.3 Internal Affairs Reports and annual summaries should include breakdown analysis by race, when available. Medium-term Policy 51 APD leads or is involved in a number of programs and policing strategies covering a range of issues such as community engagement, diversion, mental health, homelessness, drug abuse, and delinquency prevention. However, there is limited evidence regarding the effectiveness of these programs in Albany. 51.1 The City of Albany and APD should coordinate to budget for external evaluations of some or all of these programs, through City budget allocations or through grant applications to state or federal funders, such as the DOJ, OJP, BJA, NIJ, or COPS. Long-term Funding 51.2 The City of Albany and APD should coordinate with community leaders to gain community input on each program. Community members should continue playing an important role in the evaluation and review of these programs annually. Medium-tern Research and analysis 52 Communication with officers after changes to General 52.1 APD should enforce required roll-call trainings after updates to General Orders, Special Orders, and Training Bulletins to Medium-term Training ---PAGE BREAK--- 93 Orders, Special Orders, and Training Bulletins could be improved. ensure that the mission behind the change is properly communicated to all officers in the department. 53 APD currently assigns research, development, and strategic planning responsibilities to the Training Unit. 53.1 APD should consider establishing a dedicated Research and Planning Unit, staffed by sworn and non-sworn personnel, rather than incorporating these responsibilities into the Training Unit. Long-term Organizational change 54 The City of Albany is prohibited by New York State law from mandating a residency requirement for public safety personnel. The City does require that applicants to APD reside in the City in order to be hired, but APD does not have a residency requirement for officers and personnel to reside in the City of Albany after they are hired. 54.1 APD should review their personnel requirements to determine the feasibility of requiring that sworn officers reside in the City of Albany, including considerations related to the collective bargaining agreement. Medium-term Personnel, Policy 54.2: APD should review its residency incentives and determine if they could be increased or improved. Medium-term Policy 55 The Community Policing Review Board and other community organizations have submitted formal reports and lists of recommendations to APD and the City of Albany in the past. 55.1 APD, along with the Mayor and the Common Council, should review past recommendations provided by CPRB and other groups and provide a formal response detailing anticipated action (or lack thereof) for each recommendation. Short-term Research and analysis, Community outreach 55.2 APD, along with the Mayor and the Common Council, should institute policies that all recommendations provided in good faith from community organizations should receive a formal response, including an explanation of what actions will be taken in response to recommendations; if not all recommendations are to be implemented, an explanation should be provided. Short-term Policy, Community outreach 56 APD provides new supervisors with both classroom and field 56.1 APD should continue to offer newly promoted supervisors classroom and field training and should regularly revisit the topics Not applicable ---PAGE BREAK--- 94 training within one year of promotion. covered in the classroom training to ensure they reflect current departmental needs. 56.2 Revise General Order 1.1.15 Planning and Research in section IV.D to state that succession planning shall occur through formal training between supervisors, in-service trainings, and meetings rather than through informal training. Medium-term Policy, Personnel, Training 56.3 Revise General Order 4.1.05 Training: Organization and Functions in section III to ensure that new sergeants receive training on effective completion of performance evaluations. Medium-term Policy, Personnel, Training 57 Current training does not emphasize police racial relations and understanding. 57.1 APD should prioritize the following topics for upcoming in- service training: implicit and racial bias, cultural sensitivity, and concepts of constitutional policing. APD should involve minority communities in the development of training curriculum. Long-term Training 57.2 APD should develop in-person scenario-based training for use of force and de-escalation. Long-term Training 57.3 APD should enforce the policy in General Order 3.1.35 Emotionally Disturbed Persons to ensure that refresher mental health training is occurring on an annual basis and instate auditing mechanisms to ensure future compliance. Medium-term Training, Policy 57.4 Revise General Order 4.1.05 Training: Organization and Functions section IV to state that all employees of the APD, including non-sworn personnel, should receive at least the following instruction: • Racial bias in policing • Cultural sensitivity Medium-term Policy 58 APD maintains an active Crisis Intervention Team program. 58.1 APD should maintain language in General Order 3.1.25 Missing Persons emphasizing that CIT trained officers and incidents involving CIT deployment may require additional time completing the call for service, including time spent referring individuals to services. Not applicable 58.2 APD should conduct an annual analysis of CIT resources and needs, based on calls for service, CIT personnel deployments, shift coverage, and other relevant factors. APD Long-term Policy, Research and analysis, ---PAGE BREAK--- 95 should use the results of this analysis to establish the need to recruit and train additional CIT officers, in order to ensure there is full-time CIT coverage at sufficient levels to respond to all necessary calls. Personnel, Training 59 APD relies on an online platform (PowerDMS) for most trainings. 59.1 APD should hold in-person training every two years for the following training topics: • Procedural Justice • Implicit Bias • Cultural Diversity Long-term Training 60 APD’s Academy training does not appear to include training on community-oriented policing or collaborative community problem-solving, and it includes only a short unit on procedural justice, though it does include a strong focus on bias and diversity. 60.1 APD should review the allocation of topics and time in the Academy training to ensure that all officers are trained in community-oriented policing practices and strategies for collaborative community problem-solving including the SARA model, and that they emphasize procedural justice in all aspects of their work. Long-term Training 60.2 APD should maintain or increase the time spent on the topics of cultural diversity, implicit bias, and history of racism. Long-term Training 61 An independent, objective, and ongoing assessment of APD’s progress towards the recommendations in this report will be crucial to the implementation and sustainment of the proposed changes. 61.1 The City of Albany and APD should engage an independent audit firm to track and monitor progress towards implementing the recommendations in this report. Short-term Funding ---PAGE BREAK--- 3003 Washington Blvd., Arlington Virginia 22201