>>
Coming up on need to know a weekend in July makes us take
notice.-
Six shot in five locations, one killed.-
We are paying attention to an upswing of violence in Rochester,
especially concerned are those charged with insuring our
safety.-
The talk has turned to mobilizing the city's police force to
quiet the crime.-
We will talk to the man most responsible for public saved in
the city of Rochester, chief ropt Duffy and talk to ideas and
obstacles to getting more protection on the streets.-
And we will have the weekly edition of the Democrat and
chronicle.-
That is on the way on need to know.-
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[Captioning Made Possible by the U.S. Department of Education]
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>> Thanks for joining us.-
I'm Michael Caputo?-
What does it take for someone to pull a trigger and end a
life?-
In Rochester is seems to be nothing more than a cross word or
argument in front of a store.-
Police are baffleded by the seemingly insignificant events that
lead to homicide these days.-
They are also concerned with the numbers.-
Over the last two years Rochester has averaged just over 40
homicides.-
In 2003 they have already seen 34 and the year has five months
to go.-
Community activists have taken to the streets around asking
city hall and the police department this question.-
What are you going to do in response?-
We will look at some of the answers.-
Among them the immediate redeployment of existing officers to
get more police to trouble spots of the city.-
Mayor Johnson announced that police sweeps in the last week
have worked to quell the violence.-
Will it last?-
Will the sweeps go on?-
We will also look at the long-term reorganization of the
Rochester police department and we will ask questions.-
Is it time for the city to spend more money to hire more
officers?-
Are the police being prevented from carrying out their jobs
because of community criticism?-
With us to get at the issues is the Rochester city police chief
Robert Duffy.-
Thank you for being with us today.-
Let's first start with this.-
We are seeing more homicides in Rochester, more homicides in
Buffalo, Syracuse, all across the state.-
What's going on?-
-
>> That is a great question, mike.-
We don't know.-
You can expand it to Philadelphia, Toronto, other cities.-
There seems to be an incredible outbreak of violence and
there's no connection to that.-
I am most concerned with Rochester and I look at the core of
what we are experiencing and I'm looking at young people, 15,
16, early 20's, many involved with drug activity or other types
of criminal activity.-
It may be involved with drugs and in some cases over a glaur
10
debt or dispute, it may be long-term argument, but there's no
rhyme or reason.-
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>> Is that different than what you have seen before?-
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>> I've been a police officer almost 27 years and I think
I've
always seen as all of us in the profession, violence and things
that are incredibly ridiculous.-
You are seeing a soital change where young people are
incredibleably more violent.-
One of our research associates, David Kennedy, from Harvard
said you are seeing the crack babies of the 1980'S have come
to
age and the recent store in the -- story about in the paper
about the suspect who killed Mr. Anthanazi, the story that his
mother had put in the Democrat and chronicle about her life
style and what Mr. Garrett had grown up up with and as recently
as a few days ago we arrested Mr. Garrett's father for
possession of drugs.-
So I think there are deep rooted issues here.-
But those are things that as a police chief, a police
department, we cannot reverse that.-
We have one focus and that is to enforce the law as strictly
as
we can.-
-
>> To that extend you have reorganized a little bit the
force.-
You have had street sweeps.-
Where you gotten the officers from to put them out there?-
-
>> I think the first thing I would like to dispel is what
has
been done before.-
I look back over the last several years, we have had an
incredible focus on crime and great reductions in crime.-
One year we had the lowest homicide numbers since the 1970'S.-
I think it was in 2000-2001.-
A lot has gone on, but I think what we are seeing now is a step
to go back and see what we are doing.-
It is like penicillin with an infection, the infections will
become immune to it.-
I think the same issue goes with crime and criminals.-
Though adapt to what we do.-
So the reorganization is one thinking I will touch on.-
We spent two years of research on that.-
It is not being done for any reason to, other than to make us
more effective.-
-
>> I'm talking about the more immediate work of police.-
You talked about a week ago we are going to get more police
out.-
Where have you been able to get the officers from?-
-
>> We have pulled them from a variety of assignments.-
Our tactical section which is there for proactive work, we have
two platoons which are very flexible and geared toward
anticrime.-
We are using overtime and I don't want to get into specifics
but we have gone into a mode if we had a major civil
disturbance and we are deploying large numbers of police
officers.-
Their job is to aggressively, certificate actively and within
the confines of the law restore order to the streets and we
are
doing it in teams, we are targeting corners, locations, where
drugs and violence have taken place.-
We are going after specifically individuals who we think are
carrying guns or perpetuating the violence.-
-
>> How long can I do this?-
-
>> This is not a short-term detail.-
We will rethink what we to and do it until we restore a accepts
of order on the streets.-
There are other opportunities to deploy people.-
Our reorganization is coming next year and will help us have
more flexibility in putting people where we need them.-
But this is not a short-term solution to a long-term problem.-
But I to feel that some of the problems we are dealing with
are
going to be dealt with way outside the police department.-
I'm most kernt with what we can do to stop things now.-
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>> I want to get to that reorganization.-
We talked with the police locust club president Ron Evangelista
earlier and I want you to hear what he said about having the
redeployment now.-
-
>> I think the mistake we make is it is August now and
we start
saying OK, let's clean the streets up, get them off the
streets.-
Whatever the case may be.-
If nobody is on the streets there's no drive-by shootings.-
That is pretty simple math, OK?-
You can't start cleaning streets up in August.-
It is unfair to everybody.-
You start March.-
You start in January.-
You start the previous October by training the officers by
giving them the philosophy.-
This is what we expect you to do.-
-
>> What he is talking about is he says there needs to
be a
consistent policing philosophy.-
What would you say?-
-
>> I think Ron may have a memory lapse in terms of the
months
of the years because as he knows we have started an effort
several months ago which he has been supportive in the police
department referred to as nip it but it is really an
enforcement strategy and detail which has put large numbers
of
police officers on the streets in teams, in troubled areas,
in
areas where we have had violence going back now I think we are
in our third month.-
But I do believe and I agree with Ron, there has to be a
consistent presence year round and I think it is something that
first of all both the union and administration can do a lot
more collectively to look at that accomplishing that with the
resources we courage have.-
But I can assure you there's been a very consistent, philosophy
for the last five years starting with the crime process which
has pushed down the responsibilities to the patrol section.-
-
>> In a nutshell that philosophy is what you would say?-
-
>> That philosophy is geared to our doing two things.-
Drastically reducing crime, placing responsibility at the
lowest levels of the organization for that.-
And attacking disorder issues. And if you have that, the each
patrol section has their own operational plans and have had
them for years because the way each section has very different
needs and then you get into net, which that has really worked
very hard on quality of life and specifically additional
strategies with drug houses and properties.-
So the philosophy is has been consistent.-
I think what happens sometimes in the department is that there
becomes competing interests, and what I'm saying is some of
these philosophies and what we to becomes costly.-
But it is not about overtime.-
It is about saving lives and that is our number one priority.-
-
>> That's a difficult thing when you talk about city government
in general.-
Everybody is dealing with less dollars and you are taking on
dealing with violent crime but also trying to do quality of
life issues so you can nip the more violent crimes in the bud.-
It has to be difficult then to disperse people along that?-
-
>> I think there's a lot of things to look at.-
And first of all I would say that from a position of a police
officer and take away the philosophy, take away issues, whether
it be from inside the department or outside, a police officer
will sometimes step back and say I'm getting a mixed message.-
It may be a disciplinary case inside the department that are
not widespread but perceptions are often much greater than the
reality and that takes on a certain 10 nor.-
It may be messages between say my office and that of Ron
Evangelista, which inside starts to, you know, people become
confused.-
It may be the community, who sometimes want strict policing
but
often send mixed messages and when incidents occur and I would
say by and large the officers do a tremendous job.-
The number of crises and incidents that you would consider to
cause concern are minuscule next to what they do each day.-
And I think the goal in Rochester and across the
country-because this concept is happening everywhere -- I think
there has to be a realization that police work is difficult,
tough.-
But it has to be done within the confines of the law.-
We want the police officers to be aggressive, certificative.-
We 79 tickets, arrests, we want disorder addressed, and with
that will come people who will write letters to complain that
they were given a ticket unfairly or arrested unfairly.-
I will deal with them individually but there has to be a level
of enforcement that is consistent and frankly I will take
responsibility for those that complain.-
I think that is what we need to do.-
Our cops need to be cops.-
Under the constitution.-
And I think if we apply that philosophy it should be something
where the corners are not occupied by drug dealers and thugs.-
It is up to us that we police the streets and if anyone lives
in near in Rochester it should be criminals, people that carry
guns.-
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>> Let me get to the long-term resource.-
Right now we have seven sections.-
The center for governmental research did a study for you and
they found that waiting weighting the calls, if you will, the
biggest section has six times as many calls as the smallest
section.-
The idea that they came up with and that you are propose
something to provide -- divide it into two I guess down the
Genesee river.-
Wasn't this how it was set up 30 years ago?-
-
>> If you go back to 1975 it was then decentralized into
the
seven sections.-
Looking at Rochester in the 1970'S, and then in 2003, it has
changed drastically.-
The commands on the -- the demands on the police department
have changed.-
Our labor contract and the laws have all changed dramatically
and we looked at how could we become most effective.-
It is not something that was done quickly.-
We had a research project done by one of our lawsuits going
back about 2 1/2 years ago which was comprehensive, did a great
job.-
But we wanted we want to cjer and they spent about two years
and came one a plan that we feel it has gone through so many
striations inside but we feel while somewhat dass particular
it
gives us the best chance to police the city to put officers
where we need them.-
-
>> Has it been that different since 30 years ago.-
-
>> I think there were three sections in the city at that
time.-
-
>> Downtown.-
-
>> Right.-
There was a dezralization at that time because there was not
the community relationships that the department wanted.-
The decentralization was to build the relationships.-
I think we have built relationships today.-
If you look at today and the 1970'S if is like night and day.-
If you look at the support we have, the relationships, the
partnerships we have are just tremendous.-
I'm looking at strictly operational issues, which I think are
so important.-
I think what we can do is have a, an organization that can
effectively police Rochester, use our resource, to the best
of
our ability and not lose the relationships.-
-
>> The union is saying it is time to put more police on
the
streets.-
The mayor says it is not really, you know, you put more police
on the streets won't deal with the immediate need.-
Two it is not so easy.-
Look at what mayor Johnson had to say about that.-
-
>> Police service is something you can never increase
and take
it back.-
Nobody will allow to increase the number of police officers
for
a crisis and say oh.-
Even if we wanted to right now.-
It would take us close to 3/4's of a year to get more police
officers on the streets.-
This is a very expensive, risky proposition here.-
-
>> I think what he is getting at is it is not easy to
do.-
It is expensive.-
But my question is from your perspective do you need more
police?-
-
>> Well, as a police chief, no police chief in America
would
refuse more help.-
I think I would be insane to say that I would.-
But here is a case where I understand from a union president's
perspective what he is saying, I understand what the mayor is
saying because you can look around, 70 miles west of Rochester
the city of Buffalo which has had to lay off huge numbers of
police officers this year.-
Buffalo, I think, currently has fewer police officers than
Rochester.-
I think the fiscal realities are such where I don't envision
we
will be having any influx of resources here into Rochester.-
And there's also an issue if we start a hiring process it is
about a two-year process before those officers are effectively
recruited, hired are trained and puten the street.-
But I think the most important thing is there are some severe
fiscal issues that go far beyond the police department that
face this county, the county, the state, really around the
country.-
And I guess what I'm going to do is, as opposed to spending
my
energy asking and hoping for more I will use the resources I
will have and the mayor has been tremendously supportive of
me
and the police department through funding, the budget process,
where other departments have taken a much greater hit than the
police department, through overtime that he has provided to
us.-
So, I think that the support has been there.-
And I have to understand the big picture reality is we do
everything we can with what we have.-
And again what we are doing with our initiative and the ones
we
have had over the last several years we have paid large amounts
of overtime to put cops on the street.-
I think we are bridging the gap with resources and internally
I
think president Evangelista has been very supportive of that.-
-
>> Keith, I want to thank you for spending time with us
to help
us understand the situation.-
We want your thoughts on this topic.-
Give them to us on the web at WXXI.org/NTK or by email at
NEEDTOKNOW@WXXI.org.-
Here
is the business section with "THE
DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE."
>>
With us is Ellen Rosen the business editor for the Democrat
and chronicle.-
Welcome back.-
-
>> Thank you.-
-
>> Tell us about the airlines that tried to land but department
land here in Rochester.-
This came out here.-
-
>> Republic airlines wanted to open a center and they
were
looking for a community and they looked hard at Rochester and
the state and local came up with a good incentive package but
it wasn't good enough.-
Louisville came up with a better one.-
The interesting factor and it was the winter weather which
everyone says is not really a problem but apparently it was
--
apparently was.-
They would have had to spend more to maintain the planes than
in Louisville.-
So the 350 jobs went to Louisville instead of Rochester.-
-
>> Also in the paper you had an interested story.-
A lawsuit by Kodak employees concerned about the overtime pay.-
Could you explain a him bit about what the story is about?-
-
>> It is current and former Kodak employees and how many
are
affected is up for grabs right now.-
It has to do with Kodak's policy within a 40-hour week if
someone works longer Kodak has allowed them to either take
overtime pay at a rate of time and a half or take compensatory
time off.-
They are arguing that that is illegal under federal and state
guidelines and they are asking for the back pay.-
It goes back many, many years.-
-
>> Shouldn't have gotten comp time?-
-
>> Right.-
What gave us a boost was a ruling by a judge that said when
employees left Kodak they had to sign something saying they
would not sign for back time or compensatory time.-
The judge pruled that void, which really opens the door for
how
many people could participate in this.-
And the lawyers that are drawing up the class action are
sending letters to something like 30,000 past and current
employees.-
A huge effect.-
-
>> Is it a financial impact to the company or is it something
else?-
Is it an impact to the way companies give overtime to their
employees?-
Could it have that kind of ramification.-
-
>> It could.-
Overtime is rather controversy controversial.-
There are a couple of bills being looked at about who gets
overtime and how and whether compensatory overtime is good or
not.-
The idea behind overtime is it is expensive so they are
judicial.-
So they are not overworking people and it keeps people in
jobs.-
So the argument that there's a couple of bills that would
change all of that.-
So it is kind of a big debate, obviously depending on the
number of people eligible it could be huge for Kodak.-
But there's the precedence.-
-
>> You could imagine the policy makers,, they will be
paying
attention to this.-
-
>> Yes.-
And the unions are not in favor of anything that takes away
overtime pay.-
-
>> It has been a very good year, it seems like any way,
for
single family home sales.-
And I know that the newspaper took a look at that.-
Tell us what the factors are.-
And it suggests the interest rates are good?-
-
>> They have been very good and that kept things going
for a
while.-
But what really bumped it up for the month of July and could
cause a record August is the rates went up.-
So the rates were low and they kept dropping and so people
really who were on the fence, should I buy orr not are saying
I
should buy now because the rates may go higher.-
So they are jumping in add buying homes.-
Still in this area we have more people wanting to buy homes
than we have on the market so that is keeping the market
strong.-
-
>> Is it something we could see beyond August?-
The foreseeable future?-
-
>> It is hard to say how long it will last.-
We have seen a lot of layoffs so people may retrench and decide
her not ready for the mortgage payment.-
But we still have very affordable housing.-
You can get a mortgage for as much as it costs to rent.-
So why not own your own home.-
-
>> Lastly I know we are sifting through this because the
new
about the V.A. and possibly closure, what could that mean?-
-
>> There are a lot of jobs there.-
The economic impact could be significant.-
We are talking about something like a $40 million hole in the
regional economy.-
They buy something like $480,000 food alone a year for that
facility.-
And all of the other vendors that they deal with, the business
would be lost and people would lose jobs.-
-
>> What are we expecting Sunday?-
-
>> We are look ASCO Dakota and their energy policy.-
They plan to be more energy efficient around environmentally
sensitive.-
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>> Thank you for being with us. Visit our discussion board
on
the web at WXXI.org/NTK or you can email us at
NEEDTOKNOW@WXXI.org.-
Next week a year after a study recommended ways that the finger
lakes region ought to market itself we will see what has
changed.-
The winery region, is it ready to capitalize on the tourism
market more apt to get in a car for shorter travel than get
on
a plane?-
We will explore that issue.-
We will see you then.-