Brendan Cox, Albany Interim Police Chief January 6th, 2025

Albany Interim Police Chief Brendan Cox joined Power & Politics for a comprehensive interview this week, discussing his approach as he returns to the department. Cox was Albany's Police Chief from 2015-2017, and retired from policing in 2017. Until now, he had been the Director of Policing Strategies of the L.E.A.D. National Support Bureau in his time away from policing. In December, he took over for Eric Hawkins, who had been the Chief since Cox first retired. "I've been gone almost eight years, you know, there's definitely some differences," Cox said. "There's also a lot of things that are the same, this is, you know, this is the city that I grew up in. This is the city that I considered home the entire time, even when I was gone. So, you know, there are some differences, and there's some challenges, but many of the challenges that we faced in the past are challenges that we face now. They're just grown, and they've grown because of some significant staffing changes and because perceptions are at a different heightened awareness." The conversation ranged in a myriad of topics: -Ensuring people feel safe -perception of policing in 2025 -Understaffed department -Mental health call response -Bail reform/criminal justice -Working with David Soares and now working with Lee Kindlon -Presence of gangs -Department transparency Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices