Politics on the Hudson

   Gov. David Paterson should immediately put an end to the apparent State Police practice of meeting with public officials and private residents in high-profile cases, said Blair Horner, director of policy for the New York Public Interest Research Group.

   In a New York Times article today about a domestic-violence case involving a top aide to the governor, State Police Superintendent Harry Corbitt said a state police officer met with the aide’s girlfriend following a domestic-violence incident in New York City, outside the agency’s jurisdiction. Corbitt told the newspaper that the purpose of the visit was to tell the woman about her options, one of which was to seek counseling.

   The superintendent said it was “customary” for the State Police to make such a visit in high-profile cases.  He said that could include a politician or a “high-profile physician, anything that might pique interest in the press, because it’s a special circumstance.”

   But the Bronx woman, who was seeking an order of protection, told Family Court that she had been pressured not to get an order or press charges.

   Horner said the governor should immediately put a stop to such visits by the State Police. “They shouldn’t be out trying to investigate possible news stories,” he said.

  As for what actions the governor should or should not take regarding the matter, Horner said NYPIRG isn’t in the business of telling politicians whether they should resign or decline to run for office again. If it turns out there was illegal behavior, the people involved should be punished, he said.

   Paterson’s request that state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo investigate the matter is a tricky situation, Horner said. Cuomo, who likely will challenge Paterson to be the Democratic Party’s nominee for governor this year, would have to find a way to assure the public that the probe was being done by highly qualified, unimpeachable prosecutors whose actions are not motivated by politics.