HEALING HEARTS:
REGAINING TRUST AFTER POLICE BRUTALITY

April 2019

It has been about 24 hours since the body camera footage surrounding the First Street incident was released, and it continues to shock the entire Albany community.

Many in the community are still processing the violence shown from the officers in that video. It is something Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins says he has also been trying to process over the past three weeks.

"I was stunned. I was hurt. There was a part of me that was embarrassed," Hawkins said. "I saw that as tarnishing an entire industry. Not just in the city of Albany, but across the country."

On March 16, what started as a loud noise complaint call ended in what Hawkins says is a clear case of police brutality.

"When I saw that video, I knew right away we had to hold individuals accountable," Hawkins said.

Hawkins announced charges against one of his own officers, Luke Deer, on Tuesday — who now faces assault and misconduct.

"When I take action and hold an officer or more officers accountable, I am not indicting an entire police department. What I am doing is ensuring those officers, and non-sworn personnel, [who] are out there doing the right things for the right reasons don't have their good work tarnished," Hawkins said.

But pain still remains on the streets of Albany.

"There are some concerns, some fears, some frustrations, [and] some anger. We understand that. We've got to reach out the members of our community and let them know that in a lot of ways we're feeling those same emotions," Hawkins said.

Hawkins says his confidence in his department still stands strong.

"I've been doing this for 30 years. I've had some challenging situations but conscientious officers, officers who do this for the right reasons, they know they cannot let those challenges push them over the edge," Hawkins said.

And while what happened may not be forgotten, Hawkins hopes the department can join with the community in their pain and eventually heal.

"We need to let our community vent at this moment, and then we need to need to clearly articulate with our community what we're going to do to make sure this doesn't happen again," Hawkins said.

Hawkins plans to have training programs for the officers. He promises transparency within the department and hopes to collaboratively work with the community to regain trust as they move forward in this investigation.

There is still the possibility of more officers being charged as this investigation continues.