On August 13, 2020 a working group in Albany met to discuss the tentative Albany Community Policing and Relations Task Force. They conferred about what the charges of this task force would be, with Vice Mayor Peggy McQuaid clarifying that the taskforce would not be an oversight committee. Rather, she emphasized that it would be a preliminary body tasked with examining police policies in Albany and other departments and looking into community desires regarding the police department. In addition, consultant Nicole Anderson said that the task force should represent a broad spectrum of the community. The group would likely consist of two members of the school district, The Diverse Housing Working Group, plus business, faith, youth, and senior communities, as well as five appointees by the City Council.

The working group discussed three probable duties of the task force: discussing police department policies and practices, examining successful practices of other departments, and establishing communication methods between the Police Department and the community. The task force will meet monthly for six-nine months.

Details of the task force will be finalized in the next working group meeting on August, 24 at 4:00 P.M.

–Ceara Schreibstein and Janaki Gogulamundi