It has only been a week since our editorial board last criticized Troy Mayor Patrick Madden for his inadequate response to allegations of wrongdoing within the city’s police department. In that case, the city reached a settlement of $295,000 with a Black police officer who had experienced racist remarks from fellow officers, including his superior. We inquired about the steps being taken by the department and the mayor’s office to investigate and hold those officers accountable. Unfortunately, we received no response.
This same lack of response was also encountered by Brendan J. Lyons, the Times Union’s managing editor for investigations, when he approached the police and Mayor Madden’s office with inquiries regarding the tragic death of Sabeeh Alalkawi. Mr. Alalkawi, a pizza delivery worker and father of two infant sons, was killed in a collision with a Troy police officer who was allegedly driving at speeds exceeding 70 mph while responding to a domestic violence call just after midnight on February 22.
The circumstances surrounding Mr. Alalkawi’s death are currently being investigated by the state attorney general’s office, and we hope for a prompt resolution. However, it is worth noting that the attorney general’s review of another incident involving the death of Jason Jones, a young man with mental illness, has been ongoing for over a year and a half. This slow process undermines the concept of swift accountability.
Nevertheless, there are urgent questions pertaining to police protocols and oversight that both the Troy Police Department and Mayor Madden can address immediately. For instance, are the officers in Troy activating their cameras appropriately when responding to calls? According to sources familiar with the case, there is no footage from Officer Justin Byrnes’ SUV cruiser, either from body-worn cameras or dashboard cameras, capturing the moments leading up to the collision with Mr. Alalkawi. The attorney general’s office should promptly release any security footage obtained from nearby businesses. The public has a right to know whether the absence of footage from Officer Byrnes’ vehicle was a simple oversight or part of a broader attempt to avoid activating the cameras by keeping the cruiser’s siren off.
Furthermore, there are claims from our reporter’s sources that body camera footage recorded by the Troy Police Department can only be used in criminal proceedings and not in internal affairs investigations. If this is indeed the case, it is crucial that Mayor Madden immediately provide answers to the public and the City Council. Taxpayers funded the purchase of this equipment with the expectation that it would increase accountability for both the police and the community. Allowing officers to evade consequences for misconduct that doesn’t rise to the level of criminality simply because the footage is inadmissible in disciplinary investigations undermines the meaningful reform that was intended.
It is important to reiterate a point we have made multiple times during Mayor Madden’s troubled tenure: he may be an attorney by training, but he is not Troy’s attorney. His role is to lead the city rather than constantly clean up after one police scandal after another. With less than six months remaining before he leaves office, it is high time for greater transparency and less damage control.
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