Let’s see. Domestic abuse against a former girlfriend. Allegedly beating up a man. Two drunken driving cases. Accusations of working at one job while getting paid for simultaneously doing a second one. Criminal diversion of prescription drugs.

A random roundup of miscreants’ deeds? A statistical snapshot taken from criminal records?

No. It’s the rap sheet for the Schenectady police force. One cop has been fired, two more were forced to resign and five others face disciplinary charges that could end their careers.

And that’s the encouraging news. After more than six years as mayor, Brian Stratton is claiming progress in his arduous quest to clean up a police department best known for being ripe with corruption.

What’s so dismaying, though, is just how expensive and time consuming it is to get rogue cops off the force — especially in Schenectady, with the onerous burdens imposed on the city by the police union contract. Don’t forget, this is where the police union president, Lt. Richard Hamilton. made $103,000 last year for working just three days.

Yes, Mr. Stratton saved Schenectady from fiscal ruin early in his tenure. Yet Schenectady still can’t afford what no city should have to incur, namely the estimated $1 million it’s spent over the past two years or so on salaries, legal fees and other costs related to having a steady stream of police officers out on leave. This is still a city with a potential budget deficit of more than $12 million.

Mr. Stratton’s latest insistence upon professional conduct within the police department has a new ring of credibility to it in the aftermath of the firing of Officer John Lewis (in jail on DWI and domestic abuse charges) and the forced resignations of Officer Kyle Hunter (also charged with domestic abuse) and Officer Gregory Hafensteiner (accused by a hearing officer of using unnecessary force and trying to conceal it.)

As for the assertion by Police Chief Mark Chaires that most of the city’s 156 police officers are good ones, unfortunately tainted by the malfeasance of a small minority, what a pleasant departure it would be if the names of cops weren’t so common on the wrong side of the police blotter.

Schenectady needs cops who want to fight crime, not commit crime.

Read article here