Old job is new again for Albany police chief

Albany has a new police chief who’s already very familiar with the job.

Brendan Cox was sworn in as interim police chief on Monday morning.

Cox previously spent 22 years with Albany Police, including about a year and a half as chief.

“He’s a proven leader, both as a command officer and as a member of this community,” said Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan, while discussing Cox. “He has shown his dedication to strategies that work, strategies that help to reduce violence in communities. He is also dedicated to ensuring that our community has the resources that it needs in order to address the underlying causes of violence in our community.”

“This is not easy. I know there’s a lot of barriers. I know we have hiring and retention issues. I know we have issues of violence,” said Cox. “We will tackle those together and we will ultimately continue to make this a city where people want to live, work, visit and enjoy for another 400 years.

Cox replaces Eric Hawkins, who left after six years to take a job in Michigan.

Mayor Sheehan, who picked Cox, is leaving at the end of 2025.

Whoever is elected as her replacement in the 2025 election will name someone to fill the job permanently.