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Tonight In Troy: Public Meeting To Address Crime

An informational meeting aiming to address what's described as "a rash of violence in Lansingburgh" is scheduled for tonight in Troy.

Troy city officials are calling on residents to show up for a brainstorming session to work together as a community to protect local neighborhoods. According to a press release, Democratic Mayor Patrick Madden, Republican Councilman Jim Gulli, Democratic Councilwoman Debra Garrett, Police Chief Brian Owens  and Republican Kim Ashe McPherson, who is running for city council, will be in attendance. Gulli represents District 1:    "As a city and as a resident in Lansingburgh, we wanna know exactly what the mayor or the Chief of Police would have in play or what we could offer in suggestions to try and combat that escalation of crime."

Last week, Troy police investigated a homicide in Lansingburgh followed by a shooting two days later that left two injured. Officials said surveillance cameras in the neighborhood malfunctioned.   "Learning about our cameras not being fully operational has really escalated some of the stories that are flying out and interpretations of what happened, and we need to get a handle on that. With that being said, I realize that a lot happened in 72 hours that is not the norm for Troy, and everybody's worried that this could continue. And these are some of the questions that would be asked of the mayor and the chief. To, you know, explain to us, what the steps are. What are they doing to try to keep a thumb on what's going on in our community."

According to the neighborhoodscout.com website, which claims 90 percent accuracy in its crime statistics, your chance of becoming a crime victim in the Collar City is one in 22. The website says more than 99% of New York state communities have a lower crime rate than Troy, which has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes - from the smallest towns to the very largest cities.

Independent and Green Party Mayoral candidate Rodney Wiltshire, who is trying to keep Mayor Madden from a second term, urges residents to come to tonight's meeting.   "I find it very interesting that the cameras that were not functioning at the corner of 6th and Ingalls were now made to function just after the shooting, so I wanna know why there is no pro-active behavior and treatment of this safety issue by city hall until after a shooting has occurred. That's not what we've installed those cameras for. They should be functioning and there has to be a way that city hall understands which cameras are functional and which are not and get them all fixed."

Gulli says working cameras would be an effective crime deterrent.   "When we have everything up and running, and we can blast out to the media that all our cameras are up, all our cameras are watching and we're keeping an eye on our city, when that happens, we'll be able to deter those weak people that are just on that borderline of 'should I do something or should I not,’ we'll be able to stop them from moving forward."

A spokesman for Mayor Madden told WAMC the mayor is not available for comment due to existing commitments, while confirming he will be attending tonight’s meeting to help answer questions from residents, address concerns, and correct any inaccurate information that's been circulated.

Wiltshire says he'll be at the meeting and hopes for a positive outcome.   "There are areas in the city that just do not feel safe, and unfortunately most of those areas are in North Central and Lansingburgh, north of Hoosick Street. So there are times when I know that I have to be a little extra careful. Certainly I'm concerned about my family's safety. They accompany me, many times, we go, even just up to Snowman for ice cream and there was a shooting there earlier this year. So it really is unfortunate that we really have to, at some point, look over our shoulder just when we're out doing normal family activities. So, yeah, it's a concern for me, absolutely. I know that our council representatives take this very seriously and they are doing everything in their power to move city hall to react and hopefully be more pro-active about these situations."

Again, Councilor Gulli:   "If you're a citizen of Troy, and you really have a passion for our city, come to the meeting. Be part of it, because we're all in this together. And the faster that we put our forces together and our thoughts together, the more strength there will be, and the sooner we'll be able to accomplish our goals together, which is to create a cleaner, safer city for the residents that we serve."

The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Knickerbacker Middle School Auditorium, 320 7th Ave. Lansingburgh.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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