Troy's police chief defends officers amid allegations of harassment

Posted at: 10/15/2012 6:13 PM | Updated at: 10/17/2012 2:17 PM
By: Subrina Dhammi

Tweet

TROY - Some people in Troy say they feel the police are being too aggressive, and are targeting people of a specific racial group.  An outspoken pastor says he's received several complaints. 

Pastor Willie Bacote of The Missing Link AME Zion Church tried to convince one of those complainants Monday afternoon to share his story.  The teenager claims he was harassed by a police officer while he was walking home.   He says he was ticketed for jaywalking.  The teenager didn't want to talk much more about it, prompting Pastor Willie, his mentor, to speak for him.

"If you're just walking home you don't deserve to be pulled up to by a police officer and hear all kind of curse words out of his mouth to you because you're going home," said Pastor Willie Bacote.

Bacote says he feels there's a racial undertone to the alleged harassment.

"And people might say it's not a color thing, but we're having issues with people of color with the police."

Troy Police Chief John Tedesco says that's absolutely not true.  The chief, who has recently pushed for a stronger street crimes unit, says he believes this is all a misconception.  He says the problem is in North Central Troy, there's a violent resistance to arrest, and in turn he says officers need to protect themselves, that may come across as being overly aggressive.

"And I think the area where the Reverend is situated calls for officers to be aggressive but above all, they have to be legal.  But, there's certainly nothing that we see that would hint towards racism, or harassment.  And if we do find that, then that officer will certainly be disciplined," said Chief Tedesco.

 

 

 

Follow @WNYT