Here we go again. It seems that way too often another Albany cop ends up in the newspaper for all the wrong reasons. This time the cop in question was charged with DWI after playing bumper cars on South Main Avenue in the Pine Hills section of Albany and fleeing the scene. If it were you or I, it certainly would have ended up being a one day story, but because he is a cop it will be in the news every time the case takes a turn. As it should be. Because of the nature of the job, you have to respect a police officer. But if you know any cops, you wonder why it doesn’t happen more often. You hate to come right out and say it, but if at all possible, they do give each other a pass. In the case of the officer in question, when you destroy a couple of vehicles, that’s kinda hard to do. This wasn’t a first time for this cop. He actually dropped a pistol during Larkfest on the ground and walked away. The cops I know don’t go anywhere without a weapon. You’re a cop 24/7 I understand, but I don’t think anybody feels they should be carrying when they’re out partying. This case will probably drag on for a while, but the union will make sure he keeps his job, even though he won’t have a driver’s license (the court’s say you don’t need one to be a cop.) I hope he uses this time to get some help.……….Good job County Exec. McCoy. Today he vetoed the legislation sent to him by King Commisso seeking to have an independent consultant review the proposed privatizing of the Albany County Nursing Home. Good job also on the creation of a website to avoid any transparency issue. There is never going to be a better argument about downsizing the legislature than there is right now. This is a Democrat controlled body that is divided up into two factions, and there is not a chance for this to end in a good way.………. Speaking of cops. Why is it necessary for so much overtime? A city with 340 police officers, you would think that there were enough cops to cover all the shifts without the need for overtime. What do I know. I still think that it’s pretty bizarre that a city of this size has 153 people earning in excess of $100,000 per year, most of them cops or firefighters. I guess that point is moot when you call 911.………. I saw a commercial on TV the other day from Lay’s Potato Chips. They were advertizing new flavors like Garlic Bread and Three Cheese. Note to Lay’s: DO NOT MESS WITH POTATO CHIPS. Although not the best chips on the market; they are totally acceptable if they’re the only ones you have. Potato chips should taste like potato chips.………. Another note, this one to CBS Channel 6: Stop it with the banner advertising your feud with DIRECTV across the bottom of the screen in primetime. There is no way that DIRECTV is not going to be showing CBS after March 1st. You hold the upper hand, and have the satellite provider by the balls, so just go out and drop the hammer on them, because they have no choice. Is that really that hard. You don’t need to show that ten times an hour for the next nine days.
And that is “The Daily Take”