Operation Impact III Community Strategies

Offender Strategies

The Albany IMPACT Consortium Offender Strategies include addressing issues regarding:

• Known Suspects
• Probationers
• Parolees
• Gangs
• Unknown suspects

The Albany IMPACT Consortium plan also will create a “WoW”, or “Worst Of the Worst” list, in which chronic offenders will be identified and targeted for investigation, arrest, and prosecution according to their negative effect upon the city. The WoW list will be periodically screened for outstanding warrants and will be subject to intensive ongoing, long term investigations. WoW suspects will be tagged for speedy aggressive prosecution with the emphasis on the elimination of bail whenever possible.

With over 20% of the violent crime in the IMPACT Zones being committed by persons under supervision, the Impact Task Force will also prioritize the scrutiny given to persons under supervision living, working, or “hanging out” in the IMPACT zones. All probationers and parolees living in the city is provided will be mapped for analysis. Probationers noted as being at high risk of re-offending, as well has probationers residing within the IMPACT zones may be subject to heightened supervision, including “Home Visits” by Probation officers accompanied by APD officers and NYSP Troopers. This sends a message to the probationers that the agencies are working together and that the level of anonymity - that the police do not know who the probationers are or where they live – is removed. Additionally, probationers identified as high risk may face additional scrutiny and conditions as appropriate.

Spot checks and home visits at odd hours will target those whom street intelligence sources have identified as being at a high risk for re-offending. Greater emphasis on violating high risk re-offenders on technical charges will be considered. When assisting with Road Checks described earlier, probation officers have contact with a great number of their clients, adding to an “upsetting” of the status quo of routine visits to the Probation office. Probationers never know when they will see their Probation officer, or where. When a crime trend or pattern is identified through mapping, and M.O. or descriptive factors of a suspect are analyzed, a check of Probation data is performed, to determine if any probationer(s) in the area of the crime trend fit the crime type, description, and/or M.O. Additionally, probationers are debriefed on a regular basis for any information regarding crime in general, as well as for any knowledge regarding gun related crime. Probation officers and Albany IMPACT Consortium members routinely conduct combined patrols, as well as warrant sweeps.

New York State Parole Officers perform much the same duties and initiatives as Probation. Data on Parolees is provided through the Parole LLEDI system for similar analysis and mapping. Parolees are also required to register with APD, and must submit to fingerprints and photography upon registration. The acquisition of a LiveScan fingerprinting system for this purpose would allow for the data on parolees to be integrated into the APD RICI system. This would allow Albany IMPACT Consortium member agencies access to the information, fingerprints, and photographs of registered parolees electronically, and also allow detectives to utilize parolee photos in photographic line-ups for investigations. Currently, fingerprints and photos of parolees are performed “off line”, and are not accessible in this manner.

Unknown suspects are also a part of the Albany IMPACT Consortium strategy. Analysis of crimes and crimes trends is performed to highlight suspect descriptions, M.O., and location of crime(s) in order to determine:

• Whether multiple crimes may have been committed by the same person(s)
• What the descriptors of a suspect or suspects may be
• What location(s) suspects are operating in or may operate in
• The spatial relativity of similar crimes, which may lead investigators to a suspect’s residence or frequent location

In addition, the Albany IMPACT Consortium members will be participating in an “Offender Re-entry” program, in which parolees being released are gathered for a meeting with local law enforcement, job placement and counseling services, and social services providers. At such meetings, the parolees will be notified as to what the expectations of the community, law enforcement, and Parole will be, and will be advised as to how to conduct themselves. Employment counseling and opportunities may be provided, as well as contacts for various social services programs for housing and assistance.