January 25, 2006
The Honorable Mayor LeRoy B. Akins, Chairman of The Board
Members of the Board of Public Safety
Members of the Glens Falls Common Council
City of Glens Falls
Once again it is our distinct pleasure to submit to you the annual report of activities of the City of Glens Falls Police Department for the year 2005.
As of late we see that we are investigating many major crimes in 2005 including but not limited to, two murders, two fatal accidents wherein the fatality was directly caused by the accident, and two fatal accidents where the fatality was not caused by the accident, as well as a missing elderly woman which is still an open case. We commend the fine investigative work and diligence of our police officers in the February 20 and September 9 homicide investigations.
As in the previous years the reports by Captain Kevin Conine and Detective Sergeant Lloyd Swartz indicate a continued trend in drug related crime. Crack cocaine remains our number one drug problem.
In 2005 we dedicated Detective Sergeant Lloyd Swartz to the Northern Branch of the Capital District Drug Enforcement Task Force. Although we have had a excellent working relationship with an informal drug task force, being a member has its privileges, as we are now reimbursed through a grant from the Division of Criminal Justice Services for Detective Sergeant Swartzs car and overtime. Also we have the Capital District Drug Enforcement Task Force to draw from for drug related investigations in Glens Falls.
The year 2005 once again was a good year for us in terms of grant money received. Police Officer Steven Huntington secured a $6,600 grant for our Child Passenger Safety Seat Program. Captain Stanley Wood also was able to secure $3,000 for our "Selective Traffic Enforcement" program. We were also granted ANSI certified traffic safety vests for all sworn members and a video surveillance system from the Anti Terrorism Program.
Our Child Passenger Safety Seat Program continues to be a success. During 2005 we participated in four child seat check events numbering a total of 120 seat checks at these events and replacing 41 seats. Our Low Income Distribution Program provided 25 seats. The fitting station at the Police Department totaled 107 seats being inspected by our certified safety seat officers. Our program reached out to the public participating in an event at the Warren County Youth Fair in Warrensburg where we set up a passenger safety seat display.
On April 30th we co sponsored an event at K Mart in Queensbury with Adirondack Safe Kids Chapter’s first Safety Day. This was an inspiring turnout both with the public and the area emergency services. As mentioned above this program is funded by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee.
In 2003 our Police Department partnered with the National Shooting Sports Foundation in Conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice in our Gun Safety Lock Program. We were able to obtain safety information and gun locks through "Project Child Safe" and have distributed several hundred free gun locks through our public events.
Our Project 21 Underage Drinking Initiative saw us utilizing two underage agents at one time in an operation on April 28th, 2005 where we stung not only the sellers of alcohol in retail stores but those that were served in bars also. Publication from these four arrests, we feel, went a long way in our efforts to change the culture of underage drinking in our community, as the operation occurred two days before our local Junior Prom.
Sergeant Leroy Chittenden continues to do an outstanding job for us in administering our responsibilities for the Sexual Offender Registration Act. During 2005 we monitored 169 sexual offenders. As this is written, 46 of those offenders actually reside in Glens Falls. During 2005 Sergeant Chittenden arrested 15 sexual offenders for failure to register pursuant to the Sexual Offender Registration Act. We have 3 outstanding warrants for sex offenders of which 2 are currently residing in Florida.
One of the things we at the Glens Falls Police Department take great pride in is the fact that we make customer service our main priority. We checked a total of 1,501 premises during 2005. Two were founded burglary complaints.
As always, the outstanding men and women of the Glens Falls Police Department epitomize the culture and tradition of law enforcement in the city, serving in exemplary fashion during 2005. We look forward to continuing our tradition of fine customer service to our community in 2006 and beyond. We are proud to be a full service multi purpose agency, serving the public with knowledge, courage and integrity.
Respectfully Submitted,
Joseph W. Bethel
Chief of Police
2005
DETECTIVE DIVISION
Summary Report
prepared by:
Detective Sergeant Kevin Conine
As with the previous several years, the majority of the investigations and arrests of 2005 were directly related to narcotics.
* In January, we arrested a 28 year old Glens Falls man, for selling crack cocaine at a local grocery store parking lot.
* While investigating a home invasion from December of 2004, we uncovered a burglary in Washington County, where 3 area men, stole 10 pounds of marihuana. We assisted the State Police and arrested the men.
* A 25 year old Glens Falls woman was charged with selling crack to an undercover Police officer. At the time of her arrest, she claimed that she was forced to sell drugs for a Jamaican Posse. When we offered to assist her, she declined our offer.
* We charged a 23 year old Glens Falls man, after an investigation into a report by a 13 year old girl, that she had been abused while she was babysitting for the defendant.
* In February of 2005, we arrested a 48 year old Glens Falls man for murdering his wife in front of his daughter on Bay St. He was eventually located in the Syracuse area. He has since pled guilty and is in prison.
* In what was the first of numerous arrests for Falsely Reporting Incidents, we arrested a 45 year old Queensbury man. He had initially reported that he was attacked and robbed at knife point by 3 youths near the hospital, after visiting his sick mother. The investigation showed his mother was not in the hospital and he admitted that he made up the story.
* After an investigation with the Glens Falls Fire Department into a suspicious house fire, we arrested a 17 year old Glens Falls youth, for Arson 3rd and Making a False Punishable Statement.
* We arrested a 47 year old Glens Falls man after he threatened to shoot one
of our Police Officer’s if she came back to his house. When he was interviewed
he also told us that he planned on buying an AK 47 and several thousand rounds
of ammunition to use against members of our department.
* A woman reported that her daughter had been stealing and cashing her checks.
We charged her 19 year old daughter with Grand Larceny and Criminal Possession
of a Forged Instrument Second Degree.
* We charged a 48 year old Glens Falls woman with larceny, after she was caught on video stealing cash from the office where she was employed. After she was confronted with the evidence, she admitted the thefts.
* After an investigation into a Burglary at the east Field concession stand, we arrested a 17 year old Glens Falls youth. There was video in this case that also assisted in the investigation.
* With assistance from the New York State Police, we charged a 16 year old Kingsbury youth with Criminal Possession of Stolen Property, after we found more than a dozen stripped high end bicycles in his basement. Some of the bicycles were worth more than $1,000 each.
* A Glens Falls woman reported that someone had taken a credit card application out of the mail at her former residence and had applied for and obtained the card in her name. The credit card company billed the victim for more than $1,000 worth of charges that she did not make. After a 5 month investigation, we were able to charge the woman’s ex-husband’s girlfriend with Identity Theft 2nd degree and Forgery 2nd degree..
* We charged a 37 year old Glens Falls man with Falsely Reporting an Incident 3rd and Criminal Diversion. He had reported that someone had burglarized his apartment and stole his prescription drugs. The investigation showed that he was not burglarized, but that he had sold some of his medication to a friend of his and he was trying to replace it, but the pharmacy would not without a police report that it was stolen.
* After an investigation with Warren County Child Protective Services into a report by an 11 year old girl that her mother’s boyfriend had sexually abused her, we arrested a 44 year old Glens Falls man for Sexual Abuse 2nd degree and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.
* We also investigated a report from the Glens Falls hospital, that a 15 year old had given birth, and found that the 20 year old South Glens Falls man had sex with the girl in a Queensbury Hotel. He was turned over to the New York State Police.
* Our department, along with assistance from the New York State Police, Warren County Sheriff’s Department, New York State Parole, Hudson Falls Police and the Warren County District Attorney’s Office investigated a serious assault on a National Guard soldier who was in the area for a ceremony at the Civic Center. The soldier, a 42 year old downstate man, was assaulted outside of a downtown bar and suffered a fractured skull and serious permanent brain injury when he was struck by a 26 year old Glens Falls man. The victim is still recovering at this home. The defendant subsequently pled guilty and is serving a prison term.
* A 32 year old Schenectady man was arrested after we stopped him in a vehicle on Ridge Street and he was found to be in possession of 17 baggies of crack cocaine. He was also found to be in possession of several baggies of heroin, which was found in his sock, by Officer’s at the Warren County Jail. We had reports that he had been in the area selling crack and heroin.
* New York State Department of Labor reported that a 57 year old Burnt Hills man had illegally obtained more than $3,000 worth of unemployment benefits while he was living in Glens Falls in 2003. He was arrested and charged with Grand Larceny 3rd Degree.
* In an unusual case, we arrested a 25 year old Glens Falls woman, for Eavesdropping. She was arrested after her ex-boyfriend reported that he had information that she had attached wiretap equipment to his business phone. We recovered the equipment and a recorder.
* After receiving numerous complaints of drug sales on South St, we assisted the Capital District Drug Task Force with a crack buy and arrests on South St in September. We arrested a 28 year old Cohoes man, a 23 year old Troy woman, a 37 year old Queensbury man and a 41 year old Glens Falls man for a variety of charges including, Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree, Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 3rd Degree, Unlawful Possession of Marihuana and Violation of Parole. We recovered 28 pieces of crack cocaine and marihuana during the arrests.
* In the second Murder of the year, as a direct result of an immediate response by the patrol division, we were able to identify and arrest a 31 year old Troy man and two Cohoes men age 21 and 25 for Burglary, Assault and Murder charges for the murder of a 26 year old Glens Falls man. We were also assisted in the investigation by the New York State Police at the scene. The investigation found that the incident was drug related.
* Our Detectives went to Virginia and arrested an 18 year old Glens Falls girl, after she stole her mother’s car and left with her boyfriend. The District Attorney’s office agreed to prosecute the girl, because she was on probation at the time, for stealing her mother’s car in the past.
* After an investigation into crack sales from a Ridge Street home, we arrested a 34 year old Glens Falls man for Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance 3rd, a 45 year old Fort Edward man for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 7th Degree and a 23 year old Glens Falls woman for Criminal Nuisance and Endangering the Welfare of a Child. The woman was charged for allowing her home to be used for drug sales while her infant child was in the house.
* A 27 year old Hudson Falls woman was arrested and charged with Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle and Petit Larceny. A local cab company called to report that they hadn’t heard from one of their drivers for several hours and were concerned. After an investigation into her disappearance, the owner of the can company advised us that she had been fired weeks before and that she had apparently showed up one night and took a cab. When she was done with it, she kept the money that she made and left the cab in the Elm St lot.
* We charged a 33 year old Stillwater man and a 15 year old Glens Falls youth, with Robbery 1st Degree, Assault in the 2nd Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon 4th Degree after an investigation into a report by a city man that he had been assaulted and robbed on South St at an acquaintance’s home.
* Four people were charged after an ususal report of an attempted robbery. A 53 year old Glens Falls man was arrested for Robbery 2nd Degree and Criminal Impersonation 1st Degree, after he dragged a woman from her car and tried to take it, claiming the he was an undercover police officer. The investigation found that the man was in the car and the other 3 people trying to buy narcotics and that someone had taken his money, so he announced that he was a police officer and was going to take the car. The other 3 people were charged with Conspiracy.
* Our Detective’s also went to Norwich Connecticut and arrested a 20 year old Lake Luzerne for Burglary after he was linked to a commercial burglary from a fingerprint that was found at the scene.
* We also charged an inmate from a New York State prison with 2 separate counts of Burglary 3rd Degree from cases that were from 2002 and 2003. The inmate was about to be released on parole for another burglary, when forensic samples that had been secured by our detectives came back as a match to the inmates DNA.
* A 19 year old Glens Falls man was arrested for Forcible Touching after a complaint from a 14 year old girl that he was familiar with made a complaint.
* An investigation into the theft of a credit card resulted in the arrest of a 23 year old Glens Falls man, who was a friend of the victim. He told us that he used the card to steal money to buy crack cocaine.
* We arrested a 45 year old Glens Falls man for Burglary 3rd Degree after a complaint that he had gone into a local business and stole property. He was charged with Burglary 3rd because at the time of the incident, the business had an Order of Protection from the defendant because he had previously committed the crime of larceny from the business.
* A 47 year old Glens Falls man was arrested and charged with Forging several checks that were counterfeit. The checks were made to appear to be the same as his pay checks. He was arrested in November and pled guilty to the charge and put on probation. In December he was again arrested with another man, after more counterfeit checks were discovered at a local business.
* In another drug related Robbery, we arrested a 20 year old Glens Falls man and a 19 year old Queensbury man for Attempted Robbery 1st Degree and Criminal Use of a Firearm. The men had arranged to meet the victim at a local business parking lot to buy marihuana from the victim. When they met, one of the defendant’s threatened the victim with a rifle. The victim managed to get away and the defendants were later arrested following a brief investigation.
* We charged a 45 year old Hudson Falls man for Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the 1st Degree, after a complaint from a local financial institution that he had cashed a counterfeit government check for more than $45,000. He was also charged with Grand Larceny 3rd Degree.
* While investigating a report from a child that her father had sexually abused her, we discovered that she had a child when she was 15 years old, the father of her child was arrested and charged with Sexual Misconduct.
* Two people are still wanted for a home invasion that was drug related. We arrested a 22 year old Glens Falls man for Burglary in the 1st degree, Criminal Mischief, Assault 2nd Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon 4th Degree, after a Glens woman report that someone kicked in her apartment door and she was assaulted with a knife. One of the men still wanted for this is a 30 year old Glens Falls man and the other person involved is a 22 year old Glens Falls woman.
* Two former New York City brothers were charged with Assault in the 2nd Degree, after they attacked on of their room mates with a chair and a knife. The victim suffered a punctured lung and lacerations to his face. The 3 men all worked together. The assault occurred after an argument over the television being too loud.
* Finally in another report of a Robbery, we arrested a 28 year old Hudson Falls woman for Falsely Reporting an Incident in the 3rd Degree. She initially reported being robbed at knife point and cut by an unknown male on Maple St near City Hall.
2005
DETECTIVE DIVISION
Summary Report
prepared by:
Detective Sergeant Llyod J. Swartz Jr.
The Glens Falls Police Detective Division, Narcotics unit had another successful year against the ever increasing problem of drug use and sale in the Glens Falls region. As in years past we were faced with the same challenge of identifying and eliminating transient and local drug dealers who prey on the addiction of people in our community. Federal, State and Local statistics have consistently shown the correlation between this drug usage and the propensity of the dealers and users to commit crimes against other individuals and society as a whole. To that end, our mission has not changed; but our method has.
Late in 2004 and early in 2005, the Associate Special Agent in Charge from the DEA Division Office in Latham, New York, through his Group Supervisor Scott Adams, of the same office, contacted the Glens Falls Police Department for the purpose of discussing the possibility of members from the Glens Falls Police joining forces with the local DEA task force. The local DEA task force, formally titled the Capital District Drug Enforcement Task Force, is located in the same building of the Resident office in Latham, New York. Although the Glens Falls Police Department has worked closely with the DEA for many years, it has done so as an independent entity, not part of an organized, recognized Drug Task Force. It was explained that "membership had its privileges", so to speak, and that the Glens Falls Police and ultimately the citizens of Glens Falls, could benefit greatly from an association with such a prestigious organization. Although the DEA task force has been in existence in the Capital District for years, memberships from agencies north of Albany, New York have been rare. The invitation to join also went out to other law enforcement agencies in this area that have been part of the combined effort in the Glens Falls region to enforce narcotics violations for years. Those other agencies included the Warren County Sheriff’s Department, the New York State Division of Parole, the Hudson Falls Police Department, the Washington County Sheriff’s Department, the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Department and the Saratoga Springs Police Department. All of these agencies except for the Hudson Falls Police Department have dedicated at least one full time member to what is now referred to as the Northern Branch of the Capital District Drug Enforcement Task Force. The significance of this merger has only just begun to become evident as we shift our focused, local dealer approach, to a much more regional, cooperative law enforcement tactic.
The benefits of membership in the CDDETF are truly significant. First and foremost would be the outstanding cooperation now available from all levels of law enforcement, from virtually every region surrounding our City. The business of drug sales and the epidemic ofdrug addiction is not and never has been isolated to a particular municipality. That has not been a secret. However, law enforcement agencies, for a multitude of reasons, are slow to share information outside of their own departments. This lack of sharing may not intentionally hamper any one single investigation, but could prevent some vital piece of information to slip through the cracks. Through this task force approach, we now have the ability to not only see how drug dealers in Saratoga County, Washington County and the greater Capital District impact the City of Glens Falls, we have the means to do something about it. The traditional approach in Glens Falls focused on what we knew about here and now. We were never blind to the fact that many of our upper level drug dealers actually resided outside our jurisdiction, but often times manpower, and finances dictated that we dealt with what we could here and now. No single agency has adequate resources to investigate all drug trafficking organizations, much less the most significant members of these organizations. Now, as part of larger Federal Task force, local and state boundaries have been eliminated. Because all members of the CDDETF are Federally deputized DEA Task Force members, an investigation that begins in Glens Falls that may lead to another county, or even state, can and has been pursued. No longer are we required to end an investigation simply because of geographical and financial limitations. The interaction with my counterparts in drug enforcement in our surrounding counties, at the state level and federal level has brought a new meaning to interagency cooperation for all of us and we will continue to better serve our departments and the citizens of our respective jurisdictions because of it.
Additionally, membership in the CDDETF brings with it financial support in several capacities. First, Glens Falls Police will no longer carry the carry the sole burden of funding covert drug enforcement operations. "Buy" money used during a controlled operation will be, in most cases, supplied by the DEA. Cases that had been traditionally abandoned due to inadequate financial resources can now be fully investigated with the assistance of monies supplied by the Federal government. Secondly, as members of the CDDETF the City of Glens Falls is eligible for the reimbursement of up to 360 hours of overtime for an assigned member to the task force. That money is reimbursed directly to the City from the New York State of Department of Criminal Justice Services for investigations by the assigned member for specific task force cases. In my case in particular that equates to more than $12,000.00. DCJS will also reimburse the City of Glens Falls up to $5,000.00 per year toward a leased vehicle. The task force has also provided me outstanding training including Clandestine Laboratory Investigator training and Tactical Entry into a Clandestine Laboratory training, free of charge.
The task force is regional and therefore has required me to travel more this year than any in the past. It has definitely brought me away from Glens Falls more than I would have preferred. However, the emphasis is now and has been from the inception for each assigned member to focus on drug related activity in their own particular jurisdiction. As members identify a problem and establish a course of action, the task force is brought together through the direction of either a DEA Group Supervisor or New York State Police Sr. Inv. assigned to the task force. This unified approach has proven invaluable in the short period of time that we have been together and we will continue to make a difference in the quality of life for the people we serve. Below I have included some statistical data representative of the arrests in 2005 that I have specifically made or been involved with as part of the task force. These particular arrest numbers, are not part of but in addition to the Glens Falls Police Department Annual report.
| Felony | Misdemeanor | Violation |
| 47 | 6 | 1 |
| Case Number | Asset Seized | |
| C7-05-0069 | $3,825 | |
| C7-05-0074 | $3,960.00 | |
| C7-05-0080 | $7,300.00 | |
| C7-06-0015 | 2004 Dodge Ram - $19,350.00 | |
In 2005, as in years past, the
Glens Falls Police Department made a grant application to the Department of
Defense, Office of National Drug Control Policy, for equipment to be used
specifically for covert narcotic investigations. The Police Department has been
extremely fortunate to have received thousands of dollars worth of high tech
surveillance equipment from this program, that has enabled us to engage in safe
covert operations and gather superb evidence that has proven reliable in several
court proceeding through out the years. In November we were again notified that
our grant application qualified and that our agency would again be receiving
new, state of the art, high tech surveillance equipment. I am scheduled to
travel to Albuquerque, New Mexico in February to receive training on the new
equipment after which it will be delivered to the Department. This travel,
training and equipment is provided free of charge, with no grant match, by the
Department of Defense. It is programs like this that enable us to perform our
law enforcement function at a level that under normal financial circumstances
would never be possible. 2005 brought about many new changes to the Department
and specifically the Narcotics Unit. These changes will ultimately benefit the
Department and the people of Glens Falls. Even with all of the changes, our
commitment to identify and arrest drug dealers, and to educate the youth in our
community about the dangers of drug use has remained unchanged. We will continue
to work with the community, school and business leaders to make Glens Falls a
better place to live.
| 2004 | 2005 | ||
| Felonies | 278 | 288 | |
| Misdemeanors (including DWI) | 956 | 957 | |
| Violations (including Other) | 693 | 823 | |
| Warrants | 518 | 518 | |
| Total | 2445 | 2586 |
| Felonies | 67 | 42 | |
| Misdemeanors | 44 | 80 | |
| Violations | 123 | 152 | |
| Total | 223 | 274 |
| Traffic Tickets | 3592 | 3324 | |
| DWI Arrests | 185 | 288 | |
| Total | 3777 | 3612 | |
| % Felonies | 9.2% | 8.29% |
| Tickets Issued | 3649 | 3130 | |
| Fines Collected (parking) | $23,305 | $21,950 | |
| Fines Collected (criminal) | $86,080 | $109,434 | |
| Total Fines | $109,385 | $131,385 |
| Fatal | 0 | 2 | |
| Personal Injury | 82 | 92 | |
| Property Damage | 628 | 689 | |
| Total | 823 | 710 |
| 2004 | 2005 | ||
| Total Lockups | 1,139 | 854 |
SEX OFFENDERS
| Residing in Glens Falls | 52 | 46 | |
| Total Monitored (regardless of address) | 151 | 169 |
| Unfounded (false) | 572 | 510 |
| 938 visits in 2004) | 76 | 51 |
| Total Doors | 43 | 51 |
| Total Complaints | 21,051 | 20,361 |
| Trucks Inspected | 266 | 237 | |
| Tickets issued | 377 | 359 |
LOCKOUTS
| Total Lockouts (locked out of cars) | 434 | 400 |
| MILES PATROLLED | |||
| 2004 |
2005 |
||
| Car 10 | Det. Div. Intrepid | 16,851 | 17,244 |
| Car 10A | Det. Div. Sebring | 11,703 | 10,354 |
| Car 10J | Det. Div. Intrepid | 10,336 | 15,922 |
| Car 11 | Chief Impala | 14,636 | 13,501 |
| Car 13 | Sergeant | 12,969 | 9,551 |
| Car 14 | D.W.I. | 23,396 | 3,771 |
| Car 15 | Patrol | 27,156 | 20,671 |
| Car 16 | Patrol | 10,827 | 22,800 |
| Car 17 | Patrol | 18,437 | 24,644 |
| Car 18 | Patrol | 403 | 20,235 |
| Car 19 | Patrol | 24,991 | 18,211 |
| Car 20 | Patrol | 10,387 | 17,419 |
| Total | 184,322 | 194,323 | |
| Total Hours | 7,053 | 8,704 |
| Total Hours | 4,900 | 4,272 |
| SCHOOL CROSSING GUARDS |
| There are fourteen intersections covered by 14 School Crossing Guards. |
| The cost to the City for salaries amounted to $57,287. |
| TITLE | NUMBER OF POSITIONS | SALARY SCHEDULE |
| Chief of Police | 1 | $62,215 |
| Captains | 2 | $48,869 |
| Sergeants | 5 | $44,339 - $46,378 |
| Detective Sergeant | 2 | $46,942 - $47,623 |
| Police Officers | 22 | $27,717 - $43,464 |
| Secretary to Chief | 2 | $29,998 |
| Desk Officers | 4 | $30,742 - $32,219 |
| Traffic Aides | 1 | $26,790 |
| School Crossing Guards | 14 | $57,287 (Total) |
Previous Annual Reports
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