Incoming interim Albany police chief addresses Lark Street crime

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Many businesses on or near Lark Street are still sharing concerns over crime rates after the city's decision to close Cafe Hollywood on Sunday. Some gathered Monday night to demand action, including increased police presence, which is something Albany's incoming Interim Police Chief Brendan Cox said he is "absolutely" thinking about as he prepares to step into office.

Cox has been listening to the conversation surrounding Lark Street, although he cannot make any definitive decisions before he steps into office on Monday, Dec. 2. Some businesses in the area, said dealing with crime has been a struggle.

“It's hard because I feel like we don't have a voice, I feel like nobody wants to listen to us, they dismiss us and you know, we do a lot, we help out the community, we do as much as we can but we need help," said Lucia Mitsios, co-owner of Pearl Street Diner. 

Lucia and her husband Anthony have been running the Pearl Street Diner for over a decade.

"The past three or four years I have just seen things going down big time," said Lucia.

This heightened conversation around crime comes after the city decided Sunday to shut down Cafe Hollywood, a bar on Lark Street. Just this past weekend, a 32-year-old man was shot inside that bar.

Incoming interim police chief Cox was a part of the Albany police department for 22 years. He said Lark Street was always a vibrant area, yet he remembered responding to crime at Cafe Hollywood.

“I don't remember the specifics but I certainly remember from time to time that we had some challenges there," said Cox. “That area of Lark Street has always been unique it's always had a lot of businesses a lot of restaurants and bars. Every area in the city has its own barriers to address.”

Some business owners in the area are demanding action and increased police presence to protect their shops.

"If no one is going to advocate for the change its on us," said Jesse Sommer, owner of New Scotland Spirits. "No one's coming to rescue us, Lark Street is our responsibility and it's our opportunity."

Sommer held a gathering Monday night outside Cafe Hollywood to talk about the issues community members are facing. Increased police presence is something Cox agreed with.

“Absolutely, yes, I think people always look for increased police presence and that is very important. Visible police presence always puts peoples mind at ease," said Cox.

However, he believes the solution should not end there. Cox said the key would be to get to the bottom of gun violence so that it doesn't happen in the first place.

"We always need to go deeper than that though as well, to look at, you know, what is the root cause of the issue, why are people involved in gun violence, we need to look at prevention, we need to look at, you know, why did somebody pick up a gun, why did somebody come here with a gun, and how do we get to somebody before that gun violence happens," said Cox.

Cox said in the past, he's organized partnerships with the community like the Safe Corridor Program; which allowed businesses to work with police during times of need. He said this is something he would have to talk with community members and business owners about before deciding to bring it back.

Cox also mentioned that one of the first things he will be focusing on as interim police chief, is talking with the community to understand what they're seeing on the streets.

"I think that's one of the things that I want to talk to the officers about what they've been seeing, what the issues are they’re confronting, talk to the businesses, talk to the neighborhoods," said Cox. "I'm open to ideas, I'm open to thoughts and this has to be a police community partnership in order to ensure that the community is safe and feels safe."

That conversation is something some businesses, including the Pearl Street Diner said they're ready to have.

"We just need to work together," said Lucia. "It's beautiful, it's Albany, it's the capital, it shouldn't look like this."

NEWS10 reached out to Lee Kindlon for comment on how he plans to handle this issue, but his office said he could not comment until he steps into office.