Riggi is right on this issue

How terrible it is to glamorize such a gruesome crime. This is how copycat murderes are made. Shame on lifetime

SchenectadyScott. Hang up your hate mongering propaganda. You support your father, Vince Riggi. We get that. How about you focus your attention on solutions rather than singing the same old song. Encourage smart people to run for council. Offer YOUR solutions (other than "get rid of them" or "stop spending money"). Do something please. Your comments are just old.

Wake up SafeNy. It costs the State of NY to fire a trooper, it costs the City of Schenectady to fire a fireman or heavy equipment operator, it costs money to terminate civil service employees. It is the nature of the system. When the head of the city has the ability to be influenced by politics, this protective measure is necessary. Otherwise you have the Mayor firing people for non-legitimate reasons (like we saw with the budget analyst).

KMoore, get your facts straight. The Police Union does NOT control the Conservative Party. The Union has changed leadership twice since you have first reported this. Wake up and confirm your information before you write it. I realize that this is NOT something that you typically do, in all the years that I have covered your reporting.
As for Commissioner Bennett, he is an excellent man who will not be the first excellent police commissioner to be axed based on politics. This reinforces our Civil Service System and (civil servants need for protection) from politicians. As for Erikson, bravo to you for working hard to find solutions. But please don't get crazy. Fire Chief as Commissioner? Seriously? Pay a Commissioner $1 to do the job? Making comments like this hurt your credibility, not help it.

Its the last word for the town of Wallkill, however, Schenectady's fate has yet to be determined. Although the two cases are similar this ruling should have no immediate effect on police discipline in the city of Schenectady. The city and PBA will have to go through the same process as the town of Wallkill for an ultimate determination. Also, contrary to popular belief, the city has always had the right to choose whomever they wish to be the public hearing officer. Which means the Commissioner could have presided over all the past hearings, but the city itself chose to pay for an arbitrator who acted in the capacity of a hearing officer. Your description of how an arbitrator is chosen is also wrong. Both the city and PBA are given a list in which they both have "veto powers" as you put it, and the least objectionable arbitrator to both sides is the one chosen. The system was constructed to be objective. In any case, it will be a while before we have the last word in Schenectady.

Congrats. Sounds to me like the City of Schenectady just committed itself to having BOTH a Commissioner AND a Police Chief! Be careful what you wish for!!!!

Simple solution. Cut welfare spending. Schenectady County hands out welfare benefit cards like Halloween treats. Maybe it is time to start denying people. Other county's are doing it. That is why they come here!

"Lied on the stand"? According to who, the daily Gazette?

Background?...only the best predictor of the future. Wasn't Haigh found "not guilty"?