SLC Police Reform Letter Writing Campaign 2021

INSTRUCTIONS:

Below are three resources to support your letter writing about the non-collaborative and incomplete process carried out by St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office in response to Gov. Cuomo’s Executive Order 203: New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative.

The North Country’s Poor People’s Campaign asks residents of St. Lawrence County to send letters of concern to the county’s Board of Legislators as well as to the Governor and state legislators. Below the instructions and addresses you will find: (1) a detailed letter by a leader of the North County Poor People’s Campaign and a stakeholder in the process with the Sheriff’s office about how the process failed to meet the standards set by the Executive Order, with references to paragraphs in Executive Order 203; (2) relevant excerpts from Executive Order 203 and a link to the full text; (3) an example of a more collaborative and thoughtful resolution from the town of Bedford, NY.

The North Country’s Poor People’s Campaign supports Sheriff Bigwarfe’s suggestion for body cameras for the police, and would like to see a Citizen Review Board formed that can hold police accountable for complaints against them when other officials will not.

Letters sent to the St. Lawrence County Board of Legislators before February 26 2020 will be read aloud into the record during the March meeting. We recommend writing 750 words or less. Letters should be emailed to publiccomment@stlawco.org or mailed to:

SLC Board of Legislators
48 Court St
Canton, NY 13617 

Letters should also be sent to Albany addressed to the following recipients:

Letter from North Country Poor People’s Campaign leader and stakeholder in Police Reform process with SLC Sheriff’s Office

Dear SLC Board of Legislators, 

I am writing to express my concern over the apparent rush to vote to accept the changes proposed by the sheriff to fulfill the requirements of the governor’s executive order No. 203 at the board meeting on 12/21/20. My concern stems from my observations and experiences in our community given the current circumstances of the pandemic and other stresses in our lives.

1. Objective of EO No. 203: Has the board or the sheriff engaged with underrepresented groups and people of color in our community regarding No. 203? To me, this is an essential part in the call for law enforcement reform that EO No.203 tries to address. If the conversations we have are just with the usual stakeholders, this allows us to check the box but does not meet the objectives of No. 203. Instead it further enhances the very inequities attempted to be rectified. Engaging with the usual stakeholders regarding reform, does nothing to increase trust and confidence in any unit or organization. This executive order often refers to “undermined the public’s confidence and trust in our system of law enforcement and criminal justice, and such condition is ongoing and urgently needs to be rectified;” (1), (6) 

2. Stress of the pandemic and the holidays: In this time of the pandemic, most of the community has an overarching and constant stress in their lives and this reduces the mental bandwidth for daily life choices. I’ve noticed this in my life, and as an educator, I see it in the lives and performance of my students and colleagues. Add to this the busyness of the holiday season and it is understandable that people have a lot on their plates. At the December 21st meeting, at least two board members requested the vote be tabled, stating that constituents contacted them regarding difficulties in joining the meeting to express their comment. Given all of this and the fact that the deadline for submissions of the reform plan is April 1, 2021, more than three months away, deciding not to wait a few weeks for community input seems negligent to me. To me, this decision to move ahead with the vote shows the opposite of “government has a responsibility to ensure that all of its citizens are treated equally, fairly, and justly before the law;” (2)

3. History of relationship with law enforcement: I believe the spirit of No. 203 was not embraced. Some community groups, in particular those who are not favored, and those who are not wealthy and well connected to law enforcement, namely, the poor, people of color and other marginalized communities, are easily intimidated by the authoritative demeanor of law enforcement and the power imbalance history. I believe many in law enforcement and also the favored populations, don’t understand the impact of the power imbalance history, if they are aware of it at all. This is a very important reason to take time to begin to scratch this surface of distrust and hostility that exists. This is not about right and wrong, or who should stand their ground or lose face, this is about coming together, which is going to take a long time. Engaging in conversations to build this trust in law enforcement is so essential, I think it is a missed opportunity for the board to have closed the conversation so quickly, well before the deadline. The fact that the sheriff had worked on this for several months is not reason enough to deny the public opportunity to engage in conversation. This executive order repeatedly brings up trust and in particular “to develop practices to better address the particular needs of communities of color to promote public safety, improve community engagement, and foster trust” (4), (5)

4. Representation: Finally I would remind the members of this board, they represent the entire community, that included those they might consider “the least of us”. Members may or may not be aware, or may choose not to acknowledge that more than 1,000 people marched in Potsdam at a BLM rally, and hundreds attended other rallies throughout the summer and fall. No. 203 is clearly directed to address the call to action of these rallies. As our representatives this is what should have been considered when deciding to vote on the issue or allow more community input. “for the purposes of addressing the particular needs of the communities served by such police agency and promote community engagement to foster trust, fairness, and legitimacy, and to address any racial bias and disproportionate policing of communities of color.” (6)

I am aware that personally, some on the board might see no need for police reform, or see no discrimination. I would hope that you would consider this matter in a professional light and engage in professional development to learn more about these discriminations executive order No. 203 attempts to address, through conversation with groups of the community you are unfamiliar with.  

Sincerely

Raamitha Pillay
STEM Educator
North Country Poor People’s Campaign Leader
Colton NY

Executive Order No. 203 excerpts:

1. WHEREAS, this recent history includes a number of incidents involving the police that have resulted in the deaths of unarmed civilians, predominantly black and African-American men, that have undermined the public’s confidence and trust in our system of law enforcement and criminal justice, and such condition is ongoing and urgently needs to be rectified;

2. WHEREAS, government has a responsibility to ensure that all of its citizens are treated equally, fairly, and justly before the law;

3. WHEREAS, recent outpouring of protests and demonstrations which have been manifested in every area of the state have illustrated the depth and breadth of the concern; and

4. WHEREAS, black lives matter; 
5. WHEREAS, the foregoing compels me to conclude that urgent and immediate action is needed to eliminate racial inequities in policing, to modify and modernize policing strategies, policies, procedures, and practices, and to develop practices to better address the particular needs of communities of color to promote public safety, improve community engagement, and foster trust;

6. …. Each local government entity which has a police agency operating with police officers as defined under 1.20 of the criminal procedure law must perform a comprehensive review of current police force deployments, strategies, policies, procedures, and practices, and develop a plan to improve such deployments, strategies, policies, procedures, and practices, for the purposes of addressing the particular needs of the communities served by such police agency and promote community engagement to foster trust, fairness, and legitimacy, and to address any racial bias and disproportionate policing of communities of color.

BEDFORD NEW YORK RESOLUTION & TIMELINE:

The Bedford NY timeline seems more reasonable and they seem to be taking this exercise more seriously.

Check it out: https://bedfordny.gov/final-draftresolution-to-create-the-police-reform-and-reinvention-collaborative-committee-and-program-pursuant-to-executive-order-203/

Highlights:

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, a Police Reform and Reinvention Collaboration Committee (the “Committee”) will be formed to develop the Program and accomplish the goals set forth in Executive Order 203 and the Guidance Document. This task shall be delegated to the Town Board to select the members of the Committee.

1. The Committee shall have up to eighteen (18) members, in addition to the Chair(s).
2. The stakeholders who must be involved in the membership of this Committee shall include the following:

• Membership and leadership of the local police force;
• Members of the community, with emphasis on areas with high numbers of police and community interactions;
• Interested non-profit and faith-based community groups;
• The local public defender; and
• Local elected officials.

Beyond this group, the Town Board should ensure that participants bring a broad range of the perspectives, experiences, knowledge and values from the community. Specifically, the Town Board will also consider engaging as stakeholders or as members of the Committee:

• Residents who have had interactions with the police;
• Residents who have been incarcerated;
• Any local police unions;
• Local education officials and educators;
• Local neighborhood, homeless, and housing advocates;
• LGBTQIA+ leaders and advocates;
• The Local Health Department and healthcare leaders and advocates;
• Mental health professionals;
• Business leaders;
• Transportation and transit officials; and
• Legal and academic experts

3. Appointment to the Committee will follow an application process.
4. Inaugural members of the Committee will continue to serve as members of the Committee until the Program is developed and implemented and the goals of Executive Order 203 and the Guidance are accomplished.
5. The Committee should endeavor to set the initial meeting to occur on or before September 30, 2020. Thereafter, meetings are to be scheduled as called by the Chair of the Committee on a regular basis in order to develop the Program and accomplish the goals of Executive Order 203 and the Guidance.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that following the creation of the Committee, the committee shall follow a timeline that includes the four (4) phases outlined in the Guidance Document for developing the Program and accomplishing the goals of Executive Order 203 and the Guidance. A recommended timeline is attached as Appendix “A”.

APPENDIX “A”

Recommended Timeline Police Reform and Reinvention Committee and Program

Phase 1: Planning (September-October 2020)

Create a work plan, including list of issues to address, and identify staff to manage the information gathering and plan development.

Identify stakeholders and local leaders who can work to facilitate conversations with key constituencies in the community.

Assess current policing practices and procedures by gathering information on current operations including but not limited to data, policies and procedures, complaint history, budget, contracts, training, and equipment. Make this information available to the public.

Phase 2: Listening and Learning (November-December 2020)

Form subcommittees to examine specific areas including (1) accountability and transparency; (2) community engagement; (3) training (4) qualifications and recruitment; (5) policies and procedures.

Conduct listening sessions with the public. Organize sessions thematically or focus separately on individual stakeholders.

Consult experts or resources referenced in the Guidance to help consider difficult issues more fully.

Request comments on draft plans from the public both before adoption and early in the development of the Program.  Elicit input form people unable to or uncomfortable with joining public meetings and consider asking for written comments or suggestions.

Phase 3: Draft a Plan (January 2021)

Identify areas of focus or change after getting feedback and evaluating the role of the police in the community and the current state of the Town of Bedford Police Department.

In the areas identified as needing reform, identify short -term and long-term measurable goals.

Draft a reform and reinvention plan. The Committee may choose to solicit suggested language from stakeholders to help facilitate drafting and to see different stakeholders’ positions in writing. The Committee shall consider articulating not just policy changes but a vision for what these changes will accomplish. Include how to measure success of this plan going forward.

Keep the public engaged in the process.

Phase 4: Public Comment and Ratification (February 2021-March 2021)

Executive Order No. 203 requires that the draft plan be posted for public comment. The Committee shall consider diversifying the ways the public can share feedback, in writing and at events – either in person or virtually.

When releasing the draft plan, educate the public and consider how the Committee and other key stakeholders involved in the development will explain the proposals to the public. Consider holding events, engaging the media, or publishing an op-ed in the local newspaper.

Revise the plan to incorporate public comment: The Committee should ensure the public comment is addressed in a meaningful way in the final plan and how the Committee will address those comments which are not adopted and those that highlight areas of tension and disagreement among members of the community or between community members and the police.

Finalize the plan after public comment and submit to the Town Board to adopt or ratify before the April 1, 2021 deadline.

File certification with the New York State Division of the Budget by April 1, 2021, that the Town has met the requirements of Executive Order No. 203

After April 1, 2021

After the plan is adopted, the Town shall implement the plan and communicate progress reports and metrics to the public. The Committee will continue to monitor and respond to community concerns related to the police until the Town Board determines that the goals of the plan have been accomplished.