Robert Gavin is reporting for the Times Union Albany County District Attorney David Shares June 1, asked Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to appoint Attorney General Letitia James to serve as special prosecutor in every criminal case where a police officer is criminally charged or accused of misconduct. Soares, a four-term Democrat, refused to recuse his office from investigating the Albany police shooting of Ellazar Williams in 2018 and other cases involving police-civilian confrontations. His change of heart occurred in the midst of a primary battle and against the backdrop of widespread civil unrest following the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Soares said that effective immediately, his office will request special prosecutors on all new cases involving police defendants. In his statement, Soares said he is calling on the governor to expand a 2015 executive order to allow James’ office to handle all such matters, thereby eliminating any appearance of conflict or skepticism about the process. Cuomo's 2015 order permitted the attorney general to investigate the deaths of unarmed civilians during interactions with the police. Soares faces a June 23 primary challenge from Democrat Matthew Toporowski. In a statement to the Times Union, Toporowski called Soares' action, "a reactionary move to remedy a history of regressive policies." Read the full story in the Times Union.