Albany’s top cop says prejudice is driving the media to report on his shortcomings; the city manager says the sheriff, county chief share responsibility for communication breakdown
It’s all fabrication.
That’s what Albany Police Chief James Younger says about what he describes as an inaccurate perception in the community that he is isn’t playing well with others.
Mr. Younger says last week’s SWAT team resignations by county officers in protest of Mr. Younger’s leadership are “unfortunate” – but not unfortunate enough for him to ask the officers to reconsider their decisions.
Instead, Mr. Younger says there aren’t there any problems with the Police Department’s management and communication practices; and that the news media is deliberately and unfairly targeting him.
The reason for Mr. Younger’s current strife – the police chief strongly implies, with City Manager Alfred Lott pusillanimously standing by in defense of his top cop, without having the courage to say it in so many words – is racism.
“(There are) a lot of misconceptions that are being perpetuated by the media, and I feel much of it is intentional,” Mr. Younger told The Albany Herald. “I’d say 99 percent of the people in this room know the reason this is happening, but it wouldn’t be politically correct for me to talk about it.”
That’s right. Mr. Younger, an African-American, says that his detractors, most of whom are Caucasian, feel the way they do about the Police Department’s leadership because they are racially prejudiced.
That’s the reporting staffs of The Albany Herald, The Albany Journal, WALB-TV, and WFXL-TV. That’s also the editorial writers of The Herald, The Journal, and WALB. And that’s also City Commissioner Morris Gurr, who pulled a Network moment Tuesday and declared that he can’t defend Mr. Younger’s arrogance and ineptitude any longer. And it’s also, among other people, Dougherty County Commissioner (and African-American newspaper publisher) Art Searles, who says city and county police leaders must get on the page – now.
It’s funny what excuses public officials can come up with when their jobs are on the line. (Speaking of which, where are Mayor Willie Adams and his buddy Tommie Postell while their peers are trying to straighten out Mr. Lott’s mess?)
For his part, Mr. Lott stepped up later in the day and demanded that Mr. Younger at least sit at the same table with his peers — but only after Mr. Gurr went off on the police chief – Mr. Lott’s subordinate – on Tuesday,
And the police chief only has to begin communicating with his peers “monthly,” Mr. Lott said.
Mr. Lott wrote to Mr. Younger in a memo: “In an effort to ensure effective coordination of public safety entities, I am directing that you schedule, and sustain monthly meetings of at least 30-45 minutes, with the Dougherty County Chief of Police, Dougherty County Sheriff, District Attorney, and Dougherty County School System Chief of Police, Albany State University Chief of Police, Drug Unit Commander, and Airport Public Safety.”
“At these meetings,” Mr. Lott continued, “you will initiate (at a minimum) discussions of the following: jurisdictional conflicts or issues; crime trends and potential remedies; drug issues; school safety; homeland security issues. If the aforementioned chiefs are not responsive to your request(s) to meet, please notify me immediately. Please provide a written or email (email will suffice) report after each meeting.”
Mr. Lott copied the letter to his bosses, Dougherty County commissioners, and Sheriff Jamil Saba.
Wednesday afternoon, I offered Mr. Younger an opportunity to explain himself – one of many efforts to give Mr. Younger a forum to begin getting himself out of this self-perpetuated mess he’s in.
In an e-mail, I wrote to Mr. Younger, “I’m coming down hard on you in the Journal tomorrow for the racism claim. If you want to talk — on or off the record — to set the record straight or otherwise help ensure that I’m fair, please let me know soon.”
Mr. Younger quickly replied in an e-mail: “Racism?”
Then, I immediately responded, at about 5:30 p.m.: “Thanks a lot for replying. You are the better person for it. Here’s what the Herald reported that you said yesterday … Chief, you’re saying you are a victim of prejudice, right? If not, please set the record straight. And please be very, very specific and detailed about what you meant by that statement, and what otherwise might need to be communicated from your perspective. Thanks again for responding. Please write back. I’m filing a story by 6 p.m. today.”
By 7:30 p.m., Mr. Younger hadn’t responded.
Mr. Lott, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, often says – including on WALB-TV after a prisoner walked out of the Law Enforcement Center: “The maximum effective range for an excuse is zero meters.” Paradoxically, though, Mr. Lott doesn’t follow through and follow up his harsh statements: No one was reprimanded for letting the prisoner go free — and Mr. Younger’s personnel file is spiffy clean (and his $80,000 salary is still intact).
While there are countless other anecdotal examples of Albany city hall being in total disarray, our community is greatly harmed by the police chief’s unwillingness to treat his peers as equals.
Now, Mr. Younger has accused one of Mr. Lott’s bosses and lots of other decent people in Albany of racism – just because they demanded openness, honesty and, for heavens sake – communication with his peers in a post-911 world.
As if we need another sign of the Albany’s apocalypse, Mr. Lott, in an unprecedented gesture, contractually promised Mr. Younger a six month’s presence if the police chief is fired – even for malfeasance.
The good news is the city has $21 million in reserves on hand, so $40,000 would be extremely easy to come by.
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