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| RIEGERT |
The current police commissioner, Tony Magnetto, is expected
to step aside early next year and while the city is under no obligation to hire
another, it appears they are leaning towards that end. Another name considered,
according to sources, is former Asst. Chief Ralph Iler.
Magnetto’s appointment, and subsequent control of day-to-day
operations, caused a ruckus because it was driven, in part, by Chief John Tedesco’s
attempts shake up the department and make it run more efficiently which upset
the Police Benevolent Association.
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| MAGNETTO |
The chief didn’t appreciate being sidelined, however, and is
now threatening a lawsuit against the city challenging the legality of
appointing a police commissioner without first having a public safety
commissioner in place as the city charter requires. He retained attorney Brian
Premo who, as is his MO, wrote a series of letters peeling back the onion, so
to speak, of all that is wrong with the appointment, the PBA, the Council and
the administration. In turn – or was it first – the PBA requested and was
granted an Internal Affairs investigation into Tedesco’s decision to release a
letter to Cohoes resident Frank Fogarty affirming his claim that Officer Kyle
Jones used excessive force during an arrest last year. As a kicker, the FBI
interviewed some of the department brass and took a number of files. Where that
investigation goes is anyone’s guess.
Either way, Magnetto’s appointment riled up the troops on both
sides and while there are some simple, clear cut ways to defuse the situation,
appointing another police commissioner is not one of them.
Nothing against Riegert, mind you. In my dealings with him
he seemed like a decent sort and a straight shooter. After he retired, he went
to head up security at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – which is ironic because
that is where Magnetto is expected to land – and then in 2010 took a job with
Albany County as head of its crime analysis center.
It’s unclear if he would even accept the position if it were
offered, but what is clear is that if Tedesco (pictured left)doesn’t get his old job back –
and that means the job’s responsibilities instead of just the title – he will
proceed with his lawsuit.
I don’t get why the administration is even considering
another commissioner. As I wrote, the mayor has the authority to tell the chief
how he wants the department run. True he’s a college professor by trade and not
a cop, but winning the election gives him that right.
Furthermore, the three driving forces behind getting Magnetto
appointed won’t be around much longer. Councilwoman Nina Nichols and Councilman
Kevin McGrath opted not to run again and published reports indicate PBA
President Bob Fitzgerald (pictured right) is going to retire sometime next year. All three
pressured the administration into hiring what is, given the above graph, a
$30,000 a year buffer.
And, given the new dynamic on the Council that may not see
eye-to-eye with the administration, there is no guarantee it would even approve
the commissioner’s salary so I don’t understand the logic behind wasting political
clout on something that will only cause more angst in the long run.
