Albany Police Officers Union

On behalf of the APOU our thoughts and prayers are with our brother, Officer Randy Schuler. Officer Schuler is in need of a heart transplant and was brought to Westchester for treatment. Due to Covid Officer Schuler cannot have visitors. We are thinking of Schuler, his brother Nick who is also an Albany Police Officer, his wife, his mother and his entire family. Officer Schuler is a 6 year veteran of the Albany Police Department he has been dedicated to helping others and exe...mplified what it means to be an Albany Police Officer. A go fund me has been set up in Officer Schuler’s name to help with any expenses. I wish you a speedy recovery and you are not in this fight alone. Sincerely, Gregory McGee President APOU https://www.gofundme.com/f/randy-schuler-needs-a-heart-tran

Since the week prior to Thanksgiving more than two dozen members of the Albany Police Department have contracted COVID-19 as a result of being at work. During this time officers have become sick and risked exposing their families, fellow officers and members of the public. Yet not one word has been said by Mayor Sheehan regarding this outbreak inside the department even as the virus continues to spread among the members. Other agencies have strict guidelines in place and are... cleaning stations once every few hours, and patrol cars are cleaned once a shift. Why are these strict protocols not being implemented by the Albany Police Department? Why is there a constant miscommunication and lack of clear direction? Why have the mayor and members of the common council stood alongside other unions protesting for better, and safe working conditions but have not ensured those same conditions are being met for the employees of this Police Department? As numbers across the nation continue to rise, police officers, first responders and other front line essential workers are being faced with the growing number of line of duty deaths as a result of Covid-19. It is imperative that employers make sure their workers are provided a safe, sanitary, and secure work environment or these line of duty deaths are going to continue to rise.

The APOU would like to wish each of you a very Happy Thanksgiving. We want to say thank you to all of the police officers, dispatchers, firefighters, EMS workers, Dgs workers, nurses, and doctors working on this Thanksgiving. Thank you for sacrificing time from your families to be there for all of us. To all of the members of the department who are home battling Covid and cannot be with their families thank you, and best wishes on a speedy recovery

On behalf of the APOU I would like to say thank you to all the veterans across the country for serving our great nation. I would like to especially thank all the veterans of the Albany Police Department who have continued their commitment of service to the community. Thank you for serving each of us and representing our country. Gregory McGee ... President APOU See more

This afternoon the officers, detectives, deputies, non sworn staff and supervisors of South Station were treated a delicious lunch and dessert courtesy of @Lisa DeGroff Amie Houck-Burnside, Rachel Bledi, Melissa Kermani, Frederick Thumbhart, Joel Coye and Sheriff Craig D.Apple Sr. The food was prepared by Romo's Pizza and Restaurant. Thank you for the tremendous outpouring and continuous showing of support for all of us. Gregory McGee ... President APOU See more

On behalf of the APOU I wish to send our deepest condolences and sympathies to all our brother and sisters of the Albany Fire Department on the loss of one of their own yesterday, Firefighter Edward Eddie Person. We also extend our deepest condolences to his family and to his friends during this difficult time. No matter what you uniform you wear we are all one family. Sincerely, ... Gregory McGee President APOU See more

On behalf of the APOU I would like to say thank you to our fellow union brothers and sisters from National Grid and the City of Albany Department of General Services. These men and women did a tremendous job over the last several days working on storm cleanup and restoring power as as quickly as possible. These men and women dedicated countless hours away from their families in an effort to return our homes to normal. I would also like to commend the men and women of the Alba...ny Permanent Professional Firefighters Association Local 2007 on the fantastic job they did over the last several days, from the numerous calls during the storm, to EMS calls and the recent structure fires. The men and women of the APOU from patrol to our dispatchers have also worked extremely hard over the last several days. Each one of these men and women have represented the City with pride and provided a level of service second to none. Thank you, Gregory McGee President APOU

A very special thank you to Vicky who stopped by Center Station this afternoon and dropped off the amazing handmade wreath. Thank you for such a generous gift and thank you for showing your support. We truly do appreciate the continued support.

More examples of the flawed reform laws passed by the elected leaders of this state. How can the police expect to get cooperation from witnesses or victims. Albany has just experienced its 15th murder for the year, it makes it incredibly difficult to get anyone to come forward with information when they themselves could be placed in danger. Our elected leaders have once again placed the public in danger and did so without regard or afterthought to their consequences. District Attorney David Soares is quoted as saying "some of the changes they were making to pretrial discovery rules would endanger witness and victims". Soares is also quoted as saying "i cant provide that kind of protection. We certainly provide witness protection, but it cannot be at the level necessary to accommodate the (new) discovery schedule".

The members of the Albany Police Officers Union are proud to stand with our fellow officers from the Schenectady Police Benevolent Association in endorsing and supporting Liz Joy for New York in her campaign against Paul Tonko.

On behalf of the APOU and the rest of the department I want to extend my sincere thanks to Clint from Colby Body & Fender Works for his extreme generosity and for providing the entire Albany Police Department and their families with the opportunity to decompress, enjoy each other’s time, and enjoy delicious food. I also have to thank Tim and the staff from Black Bear Inn for providing such an awesome spread of food. The pulled pork was some of the best anyone’s tasted. Thank... you so much to all involved for supporting us and standing behind us and the job we do. Sincerely, Gregory McGee President APOU

On behalf of the APOU I would like to say congratulations to Officer Chris Oades on his new appointment to the Guilderland Police Department. Officer Oades was a 9 year veteran of the Albany Police Department and served as a patrol officer and a neighborhood engagement officer. Officer Oades will be greatly missed. Officer Oades will be a great asset to the Town of Guilderland. In addition I have to say congratulations to Officer Milt Johnson and Officer Me-Asia Timmons on t...heir recent appointments to the Schenectady County Sheriffs Department. Officer Johnson was a 15 year veteran of the department and served with our Enhanced Services Unit. Officer Timmons was a 7 year veteran of the department and served as a School Resource Officer. Both Officer Johnson and Officer Timmons are a huge loss to the department but will serve the county of Schenectady with pride. Good luck and god speed to each of these officer’s. Gregory McGee President APOU

We will always remember the innocent lives that were taken 19 years ago. We will never forget the Police Officers, Firefighters and EMS workers who paid the ultimate sacrifice by running into harms way. They ran into those buildings without hesitation, trying to save the innocent. We pray for all of the victims and their families. May you find some comfort in knowing so many of us have not forgotten. We pray for all of those that are being affected today from working at ground zero. We will never forget.

As a labor union we support workers rights to have a current contract that gives workers the right to have fair, and equal pay, working conditions and a work environment that is safe, and free from discrimination and harassment. A contract that gives employees the tools and protections to safely and effectively do their jobs. As a labor union we support every workers right to have a voice. Yesterday Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan stood with nurses and NASNY and claimed We stand... with you. You need a contract, and we will continue to fight with you. We guess for Mayor Sheehan it must just be her police union who she does not stand with. It must just be her police officers, dispatchers, and non sworn staff who she does not stand with. It must be her police department employees who do not need a contract. Every union matters to Mayor Sheehan except for her recognized unions representing the police department. The last contract for patrol dates back to 2015. We received a 1% raise for one day, the only reason that was awarded was through arbitration. Why did we have to go to arbitration? Because Mayor Sheehan does not negotiate in good faith, she offers her employees subpar raises, she subjects them to work in deplorable conditions for an unjust amount of hours to just make ends meet. Of course it is easier for Mayor Sheehan to stand with other labor unions just as long as it is not her police officers, dispatchers and non sworn members. Gregory McGee President APOu

The mayor claims she does not know why these offenders are out on the street. She knows exactly why these violent offenders are on the street. Now I will give her credit for mentioning the NY bail reform laws and the raise the age laws. But she never actually admits that these flawed laws are in fact the direct correlation to why these violent offenders are still free. The blame rests solely on the shoulders of NY politicians who do not have the first clue about law enforce...ment. They have passed and enacted laws that allow someone who gets caught with an illegal handgun to be set free to later appear in court. We are not saying that a mother who shoplifts food for her children should be held without bail. We are not saying a 17 year old who knocks over mailboxes should be held without bail. We are talking about violent offenders who have shown a propensity for violence and who have no regard for human life. They are using and possessing illegal firearms to possibly take the life of another and in many cases they in fact have taken the life of another person. The message is being sent to violent offenders that it is ok to bring harm and violence onto the streets of Cities and Towns across New York. The message is being sent that if you did or did not shoot someone in New York we will simply allow you to walk free after you get caught. The state is sending the message of go be free to continue your violent acts, but please come back to court later. GPS monitoring and pretrial services unfortunately will not stop violent offenders from recommitting violent acts. What stops criminals from continuing to create chaos, anarchy, and violence? Well the way to stop that is we have to give the discretion back to judges to hold the violent offenders in jail until such a time when they can have a proper trial. The county executive even admits that it should be up the District Attorney’s and the judges to make that decision. Gregory McGee President APOU

Both children have been located.

Great job by both the officers and the deputies involved in this water rescue. Another great example of the teamwork from the Albany Police, Albany County Sheriff’s Department, and the community.