Video no help on Albany Veterans Park vandalism

ALBANY — Albany police and city officials said Tuesday there were no arrests in the weekend vandalism of three stone monuments at Veterans Park downtown. Officials also said that electronic surveillance did not identify any suspects.

Assistant City Manager Wes Smith said that while at least one camera was trained on the park, the available light was not enough to do the job.

“It was just too dark,” Smith said. “The digital files have been examined at the Albany Police Department and there nothing usable there.”

Smith said the city’s 18 or so unobtrusive downtown cameras do a good job of deterring crime, but require a minimum lighting level, such as that provided in areas citizens are known to frequent.

“The parks are dark because they’re closed at night,” Smith said. “No one is supposed to be in there.”

Smith said that while specialized night vision camera systems are available for surveillance of unlighted areas, the purchase price is “astronomical.”.

For the time being, at least, security will rely on “non-electronic” vigilance, including traditional patrol methods including police bicycle patrols, Smith said.

The city continues to make predictions on where and when trouble might happen, Smith said, and CompStat meetings are held on a weekly basis. At those meetings, officials with various law enforcement agencies come together to discuss what they know.

“We know a lot about where these troubles are brewing,” Smith said, “but, obviously, we don’t want to broadcast what we know.”

Smith said discussions are still being held between city and law enforcement officials as what new measures might be taken to protect the monuments at Veterans Park. This was the second time the memorials in the park have been defaced.