The State Police report on the fatal crash that claimed the life of Sabeeh Alalkawi on February 22 has confirmed what the Times Union’s reporting has suggested all along: the primary cause of the accident was a Troy police officer’s failure to exercise caution and run a red light while responding to an emergency.
Officer Justin Byrnes’ decision to approach a blind corner at nearly 90 miles per hour, following two other speeding cruisers, was reckless and dangerous. This velocity would be alarming on any highway, let alone a busy surface street. The collision between Byrnes’ SUV and Alalkawi’s Honda was so severe that it resulted in what is known as internal decapitation.
This incident has been repeatedly highlighted by this editorial board over the past seven months. The reason for our insistence on the matter is the continued silence from Troy’s elected officials and senior police leadership. Their response, or lack thereof, is not only inexplicable, but also reminiscent of their behavior in the 2016 shooting death of Edson Thevenin, where Mayor Patrick Madden attempted to evade responsibility.
Fortunately, Mayor Madden’s term will end this year. However, the responsibility now falls on the two women vying for the city’s leadership, Rensselaer County Legislator Nina Nichols and Troy City Council President Carmella Mantello. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen much evidence to suggest that either candidate is capable of ensuring police transparency and accountability.
While Nichols’ criticism of Madden and the police has been disappointingly muted, Mantello, in her current role, has failed to demand answers from the mayor or police officials despite their multiple appearances before the City Council since the accident. Her late request for a briefing is simply unacceptable.
For these candidates, as well as the general public, there are several questions that must be answered before another tragedy occurs:
Is it true that there is no dashboard footage from Officer Byrnes’ SUV? And if so, why not? Has the police department taken any significant measures following this incident to provide enhanced training to officers regarding high-speed emergency response? Have officers stopped using their sirens, and is this somehow related to the fact that activating the sirens also triggers the dashboard cameras? Lastly, why is the city still without an agreement with its police union regarding the use of body camera footage in disciplinary proceedings, years after its officers started wearing them?
The City Council’s Public Safety Committee has scheduled a meeting on October 10 to review police speed and camera policies. However, they have made it clear that they cannot discuss the specific incident on Hoosick Street as it is still under investigation by the state attorney general’s office.
This attempt to avoid discussing the incident is completely absurd. While the attorney general’s investigation is ongoing, the findings of the State Police crash reconstruction report are public and open to discussion. The stance taken by Majority Leader Sue Steele, as outlined in her news release, is reminiscent of Mayor Madden’s decision to withhold details of the internal police investigation into the Thevenin case. The fact that Mr. Alalkawi’s name is never mentioned in Steele’s release shows their attempt to give the illusion of action without actually accomplishing anything.
These officials might not feel obligated to explain themselves, but they owe it to the family of the deceased.
Let’s reiterate: the main issue with the “fatal incident on Hoosick Street” goes beyond a simple mistake by an officer resulting in a tragic loss. The real problem is that Troy’s influential officials have allowed their police force to operate without any accountability to the public or their representatives. This culture of silence ensures that very little will change, and sadly, the likelihood of another fatality increases.
