TROY FINED $1,000 FOR DRAGGING OUT DISPUTE WITH POLICE.(CAPITAL REGION)

Byline: JOHN CAHER AND TIM O'BRIEN Staff writers

ALBANY -- An appellate court Thursday fined Troy $1,000 for dragging out a dispute with police officers.

The city had claimed that its ``unprecedented financial condition'' justified its pursuit of what the court termed a ``patently meritless appeal'' in order to delay giving back pay to cops.

The unanimous decision written by Justice Thomas E. Mercure said that the case stemmed from a June 5, 1995, arbitration decision. At that time, an arbitrator ruled that the city violated past practice and its contract with the police officers when it unilaterally rescinded its practice of issuing advance …