The Town Board is poised to adopt the Shelter Island Police Reform & Reinvention Report which includes eight recommendations from a committee of five volunteers who for months have been gathering local data and public input under the state mandated initiative.
The report also includes an assessment of local progress on eight state requirements. A police department self-evaluation that took place as part of the review prompted another eight local policy proposals.
Once the Town Board adopts the report, it will be filed with the governor’s office in time to meet the April 1 deadline.
Read the entire report here. If you want to comment, attend the Zoom meeting on Friday at 4:30 PM, or send an email to town.clerk@shelterislandtown.us with Police Reform in the subject line.
Committee reform proposals
The report describes the process the local committee used to conduct its review in weekly meetings over the course of three months.
“Committee members participated actively in the process, engaging in a healthy and productive exchange of information and ideas with each other and with Police Chief James Read, Town Supervisor Gerard Siller and Deputy Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams,” the report says.
“Through this open, two-way process, the committee learned much about how the police department currently operates, its members familiarizing themselves with such things as police rules and procedures, processes for filing complaints, the variety of trainings police periodically undergo (capacity and funding permitting), the demographic composition of the police force, and the efforts already underway to strengthen police-community relations and create more transparency and accountability.”
The committee reviewed 592 responses to a community survey, and listened to extensive comments during Zoom meetings with stakeholders, “including the Police Benevolent Association (PBA), the Shelter Island Chamber of Commerce and local business leaders, nonprofit (advocacy and non-advocacy) organizations, and the education, faith, and mental health sectors. The vast majority of the feedback received was positive.”
The committee recommended that the SIPD:
- Work to increase diversity
- Address implicit bias issues beyond standard training
- Expand language services
- Simplify and publicize its complaint process
- Review its social media policy
- Institute a vehicle/body-worn camera program
- Become more involved in community activities
- Augment efforts to connect victims of domestic violence with assistance groups
Each recommendation was accompanied by a list of action items and a status report that showed SIPD has been making progress toward the goals — in many instances even before the launch of the state reform initiative.
Compliance with state mandates
In 2020, New York State passed legislation requiring a number of police reforms. The report detailed SIPD status in eight areas:
- Reporting officer involved shootings and deaths
- Providing public access to records of police officers
- Use of force reporting
- Reporting police statistics to Division of Criminal Justice Services
- Permit recording of law enforcement activities
- Identifying false reports on a member of a protected class
- Ban chokeholds
- Provide medical response for arrestees
In each instance, SIPD policies and/or the Town Code have been updated to reflect the required changes. The SIPD is among the 30 percent of police agencies in New York that undergo accreditation, which includes an annual review to ensure it meets or exceeds established standards. It also has contracted with Lexipol to update all of its policies to ensure compliance with current best practices, the report noted.
SIPD policy proposals
The report also enumerates eight proposals that arose from a department self-evaluation:
- Enhance public access to and awareness of police activities
- Raise public awareness of police services
- Establish and promote core values
- Expand and enhance critical training
- Ensure adequate employee assistance programs
- Continue to meet or exceed NYS critical law enforcement standards
- Assign two officers to duty at all times
As with the other proposals, these were accompanied by lists of action items and status reports. With the exception of the last listed proposal, all items were well underway.
Assigning two officers at all times is recommended “to enhance officer safety, public safety, diversification, supervision the effectiveness of de-escalation techniques.” This would require at least one new hire (which could also help diversify the force), and presents budgetary implications that must be addressed by the Town Board.
Kudos for committee members
Members of the Town Board expressed gratitude to the five volunteer committees members who handled this state-mandated duty. They are Donald D’Amato, Ellen Gove, Jose Montalvo, Patricia Quigley, and Jason Sheilds. Town Attorney Bob DeStefano assembled the report.
