Many crimes in the city of Albany are down, according to Albany’s mayor and police chief. However, there is still a lot to do, they said.

Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan and Interim Police Chief Brendan Cox outlined some of their goals on Monday morning.

One of Cox’s first initiatives is hiring more police.

“There used to be 1,500 people that took the police test. We get about 200 people that take the test now,” said Cox. “This is a great job, and I would implore anybody that’s interested in serving the public good and serving their community to take this test.”

Cox noted an overall decrease in nearly all crimes from 2023 to 2024. That included gun crimes, property crimes, violent crime and sex offense arrests. The one major exception was rape.

Cox pointed out a definition for what is considered rape was broadened by state lawmakers, and he supports that change.

“That corrected some of the issues around statutes that were not considered rape, but were serious sexual offenses, but were not categorized under the rape category,” said Cox.

He also said rape cases are usually underreported.

“I always want to make sure that people that were victims of sexual assault feel comfortable coming forward to the Albany Police Department and report those cases to us so we can bring people to justice, and we can bring whatever closure we possibly could to a victim of these heinous offenses,” Cox said.

Cox also talked about the different types of theft in the city and how he plans to continue bringing those numbers down.

He said car thefts can easily be stopped by not giving criminals a chance to steal them.

“Everybody’s done it – start their car, leave their car unattended, walk away and next thing you know there’s a crime of opportunity where somebody steals that car,” he said. “Sometimes, that car winds up being used in another offense that winds up creating many, many problems for us.”

Cox also said it’s important to separate the causes of theft.

“There’s retail theft that’s organized and people really stealing for a profit. And then there’s retail theft that’s driven by addiction, mental health and poverty,” he said.

The people stealing for poverty will get more mental health help and resources, he said.

“We will continue to utilize things like law enforcement assistant diversion, like some of the treatment courts to get those folks the services they need to ensure that they don’t continue to come through the doors of the criminal legal system,” said Cox.

Cox also pointed out a significant decrease in gun crimes in the city over the past five years, with a year-to-year increase in gun recoveries from 138 in 2023 to 180 in 2024.

He also talked about how efforts must be stepped up to crack down on ghost guns, which are guns people can make at home using technology such as a 3D printer.

“It’s insane that someone can buy a piece of equipment that can make a gun. Something needs to be done about that,” he said. “I don’t understand how in the world, as a country, we can allow that to happen.”

They will also be working on a new program to help prevent runaways. The program was successfully tested in Buffalo, he said.

“Figure out if where they are might not be the right place for them, get them placed in a better residential facility, get them better connection to services, get them a better safety plan,” Cox said.

The ultimate goal, according to Cox, is to get them the services before they are traumatized on the street.

Cox also announced a program called “Handle with Care,” which will directly help target a student’s mental health, especially if something happened at home the night before.

“The school district then knows that, hey, Brendan was present last night when there was an incident at home. Now the teachers know that Brendan might be coming to school tomorrow. There might be an issue with him in the classroom,” explained Cox. “We know enough that we can ultimately deal with him with a little more care today. A little more understanding that something happened in the household last night.”

Mayor Sheehan reiterated the importance of the police department focusing on mental health.

“We have a mental health crisis in this country, and Albany is not immune,” said Sheehan. “We need to ensure that in addition to the work that we’re doing to deal with violent crime, that we advocate within health care, within mental health care.”

“We can be on the lookout to make sure that he is physically, mentally, he’s emotionally OK,” Cox continued. “If he’s not, we can have the right people in our school deal with that situation, have the right professionals deal with that.”

NewsChannel 13 asked about an officer-involved shooting on 150 Third Ave. near Sloan Street, which happened on Jan. 5. A man was shot in the upper thigh after refusing to comply with officers’ commands police said. At one point, the man raised his hand in a shooter stance, police said.

“From every interview that I’ve reviewed, Officer [Daniel] Blossom acted appropriately,” said Cox. “The officers attempted to speak with the defendant and get him to ultimately deescalate and turn himself in, and he ultimately escalated that situation, pretended that he had a gun on him.”

Cox said the investigation continues, but he thinks the officer acted within reason in this case.

Sheehan also praised the Albany Police Department for a job well done under the staffing challenges they’ve faced.

“They are making our city safer. They are arresting people who are perpetrating horrific crimes in our city,” Sheehan said.

“They are also working to ensure that we are lifting up our youth, helping those in our community who are struggling, and working to ensure that our entire community feels as though they are part of creating safety in their community.”