Mayor Lovely Warren announced this morning that Alexander will be her new deputy mayor. He is currently deputy chief operating officer and director of public safety in DeKalb County, Georgia. He served as deputy chief — and later, chief — in Rochester from 2002 to 2005 and has frequently been a source for both media and government on police-related issues, appearing on television, writing guest commentaries for media, and testifying before Congress. He also served on President Barack Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing.
Alexander replaces Carlos Carballada, who stepped in to serve as deputy after Leonard Redon retired. Carballada isn’t leaving city service, however. He’ll “continue to work in an executive role in the Department of Neighborhood and Business Development,” according to a City Hall press release, “to further improve customer service and job creation strategies.”
This article appears in Mar 8-14, 2017.
Like James Sheppard, Cedric Alexander had a disturbing record leading the Rochester Police Department. Alexander had SWAT teams patrol neighborhoods wearing full military gear and carrying rifles. He also implemented Operation Law and Order, in which officers looked for opportunities to search cars and people. (Democrat and Chronicle, 11/20/2005) These types of stop and frisk policies disproportionately impact communities of color, and have not been found to reduce crime.
If you live near the corner of Silver & York St. you would welcome the uninvited police presence on occasion . I’m sure alexander had the force look for possibilities in the stop & frisk procedures. Start with the young whites driving in a suv trolling in these neighborhoods. “Uh…you live round here, are you lost?”