SCHENECTADY -- A day after Ganesh Ramgoolam was gunned down in February on a dead-end street, two Schenectady cops were shot when their specially trained detail raided the house of the suspected killers.
While the officers' bullet-proof vests saved their lives, the 24-year-old Ramgoolam's death underscored the gun violence responsible for most of the city's eight homicides this year.
In Albany, knives not guns seemed to be the deadly weapon of choice in 2010 when Shawn Hood Jr., 23, and Arthur Bell, 20, were stabbed within three days of each other in June. Police have made arrests in both of those homicides, the only ones in the capital city this year.
Troy Police Chief John Tedesco credited a drop in his city's deadly crime in part to the "competence of our community groups" in tandem with his department's aggressive community policing patrols.
"They are visible and gather a lot of intelligence," said Tedesco of his officers, and the information they obtain is shared with detectives. The shooting of Tunham Tate, 29, and Father's Day stabbing death of Edgar Aquino, 26, a downstate man, near a municipal housing complex were the only two homicides in the Collar City.
The success in Troy's comes as Albany's new police chief, Steven Krokoff beefed up community policing to combat crime while strengthening bonds with residents.
"The community has embraced the community policing plan," said Albany police spokesman, Detective James Miller. He the department's targeting of gangs and guns coupled with tips from the community seems to be working.
Gun violence also devastated two Rensselaer County towns. In Poestenkill, Richard Pryor Senior, 70, shot his daughter and his granddaughter's boyfriend and then killed himself. The others, survived. In Hoosick Falls, Joseph McElheny, 30, is accused of murdering his infant daughter.
Nationally, violent crimes, including murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault dropped 6.2 percent during the first half of 2010, according to statistics from the FBI.
Steven F. Messner, a University at Albany sociology professor, also cautioned against drawing conclusions about crime rates based on the number of killings because homicides are a "relatively rare event for a relatively small population." "What has been striking for the United States as a whole has been the decreasing criminal homicides despite the tough economic times, and this is very puzzling," said Messner. "Even if you look at the situation in the local areas that have remained about the same, that would be backing the national trend."
In Schenectady, police have made arrests in all but two of the homicides. The September death of Terrill Reese, 18, and Brett Wentworth, 41, in April, remain unsolved. Police have not said how Wentworth died and the family has offered reward money in a bid to help solve the case.
The deaths of a 2-year-old child and a 65-year-old woman when a young family member set fire to a pancake box are included the Schenectady homicides, according to Assistant Chief Brian Kilcullen.
Paul Nelson can be reached at 454-5347 or by email at pnelson@timesunion.com. Times Union News Research Director Sarah Hinman Ryan contributed to this report.
I think someone said recently that violent crimes are "down" in Schenectady ... I'm just not seeing it I guess. But hey, I choose to live in reality - maybe the vision here is different from theirs.
That Paul Nelson is just another Nattering Nayboo of FACTUALITY! Ya know what would help Schenectady's homicide problem? A bike trail, a cultural study about salt consumption, and a law mandating calorie counts on restaurant menus, and a nice Gogreenschenectadycounty website. This is really all the murderers want; they need to know we care about them and their environment.
Some liberal idiot predicted that Albany's murder rate would quickly surpass Schenectady. Wrong again. The Gazetto added that Mayor SOS "could be Mayor for life if he ever straightened out the City's crime problems."
We don't have to worry. This pathetic Mayor only creates new problems-never solves anything. Working together works!
I think someone said recently that violent crimes are "down" in Schenectady ... I'm just not seeing it I guess. But hey, I choose to live in reality - maybe the vision here is different from theirs.
I stated that FBI statistics show that OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS violent crimes have fallen in Schenectady ... the rate was actually higher 10 YEARS AGO.
The REALITY is that there can be a rise from year to the next .... AND ... the rate can still be lower than it was 10 years ago.
George Amedore & Christian Klueg for NYS Senate 2016 Pete Vroman for State Assembly 2016[/size][/color]
"For this is what America is all about. It is the uncrossed desert and the unclimbed ridge. It is the star that is not reached and the harvest that is sleeping in the unplowed ground." Lyndon Baines Johnson
I stated that FBI statistics show that OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS violent crimes have fallen in Schenectady ... the rate was actually higher 10 YEARS AGO.
The REALITY is that there can be a rise from year to the next .... AND ... the rate can still be lower than it was 10 years ago.
You wrote words making claims about some FBI statistics in your imagination. You have NOT provided one teeny weeny shred of proof from the FBI itself, from it's own website
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
Logged
Some liberal idiot predicted that Albany's murder rate would quickly surpass Schenectady. Wrong again. The Gazetto added that Mayor SOS "could be Mayor for life if he ever straightened out the City's crime problems." 
