It is our pleasure to present to you the annual report of activities for the City of Glens Falls Police Department for the year 2001.

The face of law enforcement changed locally, regionally, nationally and internationally as a result of the September 11 terrorist attacks. We have attended briefings with Governor Pataki, Superintendent James McMahon, Jim Kallstrom, members of the FBI as well as the US Attorney's Office. We have responded to items suspected to be contaminated with anthrax. We have conducted threat assessments of our buildings and infrastructure. We have met with all public safety entities in our region to discuss our situation and our preparedness. The result is that we are prepared to respond and we can say with confidence that we can handle whatever situation should arise.

The face of the Glens Falls Police Department changed again this past year as Sergeant Harry McDonald, PO Joseph Affinito, PO Matthew Evans, PO Wayne Scoville, PO Daniel Welch and Dispatcher Glen Gosnell moved on to other opportunities. Joining us this past year were PO G. Joseph Boisclair, PO Jammie Rossi, PO Gerald Willette Dispatcher George Habshi and Dispatcher Adam Chittenden. PO William Valenza was elevated to the rank of Sergeant. Investigator Paul Frettoloso was elevated to the rank of Detective Sergeant.

The year 2001 saw our technology put to good use as Police Officer Steven Huntington used one of our Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) to save the life of an elderly heart attack victim at the YMCA. In our mission statement we value human life above all else. Officer Huntington's outstanding contribution is the epitome of what we all strive for. Police Officer Steven Huntington received a well deserved commendation for his effort and dedication.

In this past year Sergeant John A. Winchell received statewide honors when he was chosen to receive the MADD/DWI Enforcement "Top Cop" award. This most prestigious award was one of only 13 given out statewide. Sgt. Winchell is very deserving of this acknowledgment of his fine efforts and we give him our most sincere congratulations.

At the same awards ceremony cosponsored by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services and MADD, the Glens Falls Police Department was chosen to receive the Law Enforcement Challenge Award for outstanding DWI enforcement efforts. We were chosen as one of seven departments statewide for this honor.

Our narcotics enforcement effort continues to be a priority. Narcotics trafficking, specifically crack cocaine, as in the past, is something we see as the single most important factors adversely affecting the quality of life in the Glens Falls region. We simply cannot back off on our resolve to apprehend drug dealers. MDMA also known as ecstasy is being seen much more often in our region. Unfortunately heroin is also being seen in our area. We have made heroin purchases in Glens Falls.

In 2001, our Child Safety Seat Program grew by leaps and bounds. The Department now has seven Child Safety Seat Technicians on our staff. This allows us to offer a free service to those we serve by installing the child safety seat correctly and then demonstrating the correct installation for the parent. Two grants from the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee have allowed us to bolster our program. First, we received a grant of 50 safety seats designated for low income Warren County residents. Secondly, we received a grant of $9,500 to purchase a trailer and additional safety seats to be used at checkpoints. Our Child Safety Seat Program has proven to be an outstanding addition to our occupant restraint enforcement effort that once again is proving to us that we are making a difference by saving lives.

This past year the law enforcement agencies in Warren County were chosen to pilot an electronic ticketing program for New York State. We received a $58,000 grant from the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee to fund the pilot. With e-ticketing the officer in a patrol vehicle uses a bar code reader to capture license and registration information which is automatically populated into the traffic ticket. The ticket is then printed out on the in-car printer. The project is going well and serves to speed up our traffic encounters.

Captain Stanley Wood continues to oversee the Police Department's participation in the Warren Washington County Victim Impact Panel for DWI offenders. The Panel has repeatedly proven its value to the community as a way to reduce the incidents of individuals re-offending. We have proven that our educational efforts have been working to reduce DWI offenders from first-time offending. The Panel's value is that it is a proactive way to reduce the incidents of recidivism. In fact, to date the recidivism rate for those attending our Victim Impact Panel is an amazingly low 2.9%.

In 2001 we began DOT Truck Safety Inspections in cooperation with the New York State Department of Transportation. Officers are given special training in inspecting commercial vehicles for safety violations. During the year, 207 trucks were inspected and 168 traffic tickets were issued. The Truck Safety Inspections are just one more way we are making the highways in the Glens Falls region safer for the motoring public.

In response to concerns from downtown merchants and members of the Common Council we began a Quality of Life (QOL) patrol in the central business district. The patrol consisted of two uniformed, highly visible officers that were tasked specifically to enforce minor "quality of life" offenses. Offenses like open container, underage drinking, possession of marihuana, urinating in public and disorderly conduct were specifically targeted. The results of the patrol were quite remarkable with the officers averaging 20 arrests per weekend. The violation arrests for 2001 increased by over 63% which we believe is attributable to the QOL patrol. Downtown merchants have reported a change for the better downtown as a result of the patrols.

Again in 2001 our grantsmanhip has been extremely successful, allowing us to accomplish things that would simply be unheard of without grant money. During the past year we were awarded $109,051 in grants for various projects. That brings our total of all grants awarded since 1995 to a total of $1,122,827.

The condition of the Police Department's headquarters continues to be a problem that must be dealt with. The Police Department cannot be renovated or updated it simply must be replaced with new quarters.

All of the outstanding members of the Glens Falls Police Department perform an incredible service for the citizens of the Glens Falls region. We know this because for the past several years we have been mailing out customer satisfaction follow-up surveys to individuals we have had contact with in the preceding ten days. The responses have been extremely reassuring, averaging well over a 90% approval rating. That tells us we are doing more than just the right thing, we are doing the right thing exceptionally well indeed.

We consider it our personal honor to serve. We willingly go that extra step to perform in exemplary fashion. The ladies and gentlemen of the Glens Falls Police Department look forward to serving in the year 2002 and beyond with knowledge, courage and integrity.

January of 2001 started out busy with some unusual and interesting cases. We continue to see New York City residents migrating north to sell crack cocaine in the Glens Falls area. In January we arrested a 20 year old man from Brooklyn for selling and possessing crack cocaine in Glens Falls. We also assisted in the investigation and arrest of 24 year old New York City resident selling crack cocaine in the Hudson Falls area. Our local Drug Task Force working with the United States Postal Inspection service, intercepted a Heroin shipment to the Warrensburg area and arrested a local man after that investigation. We assisted the New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation in the investigation and arrest of a Queensbury man for Possession of Illegal Gambling Devices. We also went to Brooklyn and arrested a 65 year old Brooklyn resident after an investigation of a report that he had made 123 threatening calls to the Bell Atlantic Offices located in Glens Falls. Finally we arrested a 35 year old Glens Falls man for Rape and Sexual Abuse after an investigation into numerous reports by several woman that he had raped them. He was convicted after trial and sent to State Prison for 15 years.

In February of 2001, after a lengthy investigation into the identity theft's of several Albany area physicians, we arrested a 45 year old Canadian man for Forgery, Grand Larceny, Scheme to Defraud and Falsifying Business records. The man had set up a Post Office Box in Glens Falls and then applied on-line to numerous Credit Card companies in the names of the Doctors. Working with the US Postal Inspectors, US Secret Service, New York State Police and US Customs Service, the man was arrested as he entered the United States in Fort Lauderdale and returned to Glens Falls. He has since pled guilty in Federal Court and was sent to prison. We arrested a 40 year old Glens Falls resident for Felony Animal Abuse charges after he cut the head off of a stray neighborhood cat with a sword.

In March of 2001, we assisted the FBI with the arrest of a 30 year old Glens Falls woman who was a fugitive from justice from Texas for bank fraud. We arrested a 28 year old former New York City man, after an investigation with the Drug Enforcement Administration into sales of crack cocaine in Glens Falls. We charged a 22 year old Glens Falls woman for numerous counts of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument and larceny after an investigation into the theft of checks from a Glens Falls man. We arrested a 33 year old Glens Falls woman after an investigation into a report of a rape. The woman was charged with Falsely Reporting an Incident after the investigation. We also charged a 33 year old Glens Falls man after an investigation into a report that he had been sexually abusing children that he was acquainted with. He was charged with Course of Sexual Conduct against a child in the First Degree, Rape in the Second Degree and Tampering with a Witness. We also investigated the Heroin overdose death of a 40 year old Lake George man in Glens Falls.

In April of 2001, a 43 year old Glens Falls woman and her 49 year old boyfriend were both charged with Criminal Sale of Marihuana in the Fourth degree, after an investigation into several reports that they were selling marihuana from their home. After a 7 month investigation we arrested a former Massachusetts man for Grand Larceny for taking a bank bag that contained more than $1,000 from a Glens Falls business that he was formerly employed by. Finally we arrested a 27 year old Queensbury man after an investigation that he was collecting donations that he advertised would benefit local veterans. He was charged with Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree.

In May of 2001, after an investigation with Warren County Child Protective Services and the Warren County Sheriff's Department into a report of child sexual abuse, a 40 year old Warren County man was charged with Sexual Abuse First Degree, by the Sheriff's Department as the investigation showed that the crime occurred outside the City of Glens Falls. We also arrested a 35 year old Glens Falls man for Sexually Abusing a 14 year old City girl, after another investigation with Child Protective Services. After an investigation into the theft of several credit cards, we arrested a 21 year old City woman for Grand Larceny and Forgery Second Degree.

June 2001 saw the arrest of a 54 year old Fort Ann man for Rape in the First Degree, Unlawful Imprisonment in the First Degree and Aggravated Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, after an investigation into a report by a City woman that she had been tied up, raped and Sexually Abused by a man with a knife. The defendant has since pled guilty and is in State Prison. We also arrested three Glens Falls youths for robbery, after an investigation into the report of another Glens Falls youth being robbed at gunpoint while skateboarding. After a two month investigation into the death of a 30 year old Bolton man after a fight at a city bar, a 24 year old City man was charged with assault. The case is still pending in court.

In July 2001, we charged a 19 year old City woman with Possession of a Forged Instrument and larceny after an investigation in a report of a check being stolen and cashed in Glens Falls. We also charged two Glens Falls men, age 19 and 23 with multiple counts of Rape, Sodomy and Criminal Sale of Marihuana Second Degree, after an investigation into a report by two 12 year old girls that they had been given marihuana by the men and then engaged in sexual conduct with both of them. Both men have pled guilty and received prison sentences. After an investigation into a report of more than $15,000 being embezzled from a City man's bank account, we arrested his 44 year old accountant and charged her with Grand Larceny and Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree. We also charged a 54 year old Queensbury woman after an investigation into more than $10,000 missing from the city Controller's Office. The woman had been employed as an account clerk by the City. She was charged with Grand Larceny, Tampering with Public Records First Degree and Defrauding the Government.

In August of 2001, we charged a 36 year old Glens Falls woman with Rape after an investigation into a report that she had been having sex with a 16 year old boy. The victim was also arrested after it was determined that he was a Fugitive from Justice from the State of Florida for an unrelated sex crime. We assisted the Warren County Sheriff's Department with the arrest of a 31 year old Glens Falls man for a robbery that occurred at Aviation Mall. A Glens Falls couple was charged with Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree after dozens of people reported that they paid for upholstery services to be done by the couple and the services were not delivered or they were done incompletely. A 59 year old Glens Falls woman was charged with Possession of a Forged Instrument after an investigation into a report that she had altered a Social Security check to obtain $800 that she was not entitled to. We charged a 37 year old Queensbury woman for Aggravated Harassment after an investigation into a Glens Falls Business receiving annoying E-mail. Finally in August, we charged two Glens Falls men, aged 18 and 22 with Burglary in the First Degree and Assault in the Second Degree, after an investigation into a report of a home invasion and assault of the resident.

In September of 2001, we arrested two Glens Falls teens for several counts of Burglary and Grand Larceny after investigations into several commercial Burglaries. One of the youths was also charged with Escape, after he ran out of the Police station at the time of his arrest. He was recaptured a short time later on Ridge Street. After a lengthy investigation with the New York State Police, Warren and Washington County Sheriff's Departments, South Glens Falls Police and New York State Parole, we arrested two Glens Falls men and a girlfriend of one of the defendants, for numerous counts of Burglary and Grand Larceny. The arrests were the result of an investigation into more than 50 Burglaries in the Warren, Washington and Saratoga County area.

In October after an investigation by Glens Falls Police, the New York State Police and the Massachusetts State Police, into a report by a 44 year old Glens Falls woman that she was raped by a man that she met on the internet, the woman was charged with Falsely Reporting an Incident. The investigation which included executing search warrants in Massachusetts and searching the home of the reporting victim, revealed that the woman consented to the activities which she engaged in.

November 2001 a 42 year old Glens Falls resident was charged with Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, after an investigation with Warren County Child Protective Services into a report that the man's daughter had been sexually abused. We also investigated an alcohol overdose death with the New York State Police of a 17 year old Gansevoort youth. As a result of the investigation, State Police at Wilton charged a 22 year old Glens Falls man with Unlawfully Dealing with a Child in the First Degree, for providing the alcohol and a 16 year old youth with assault for kicking the youth prior to his death. We also investigated a suspicious gun shot wound, which was reported when a 22 year old California native went to Glens Falls Hospital to be treated to a wound to his foot. After an investigation, the victim was charged with being a Fugitive from Justice from California. The investigation determined that he had been shot while in California.

Finally in December of 2001, we arrested a 57 year old Glens Falls man after an investigation with Child Protective Services into the report of a 14 year old girl being sexually abused. A 22 year old Philadelphia man was charged with Robbery after an investigation into a report of a Glens Falls man being robbed behind a local bar. Two brothers from Glens Falls were also charged with Robbery in connection with another unrelated Robbery of a man that also occurred behind a Glens Falls bar.