The Saratoga Springs City Council is considering a draft resolution to address police reform in the city, and is asking the public for input.
The resolution, “NYS Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative Plan,” was drafted by city attorney Vincent DeLeonardis in consultation with Police Chief Shane Crooks and the city council (viewable on the city’s website).
DeLeonardis reported this by way of introduction of the resolution at the city council meeting, Wednesday evening, March 16.
Although he said the city would post the current draft and new drafts after the council took public comment and held discussions, at the time of this publication there is no instruction for how people might offer feedback on the report, though the website has been updated in recent hours with meeting times and zoom connections.
The draft itself is drawn from the Saratoga Springs Police Reform Task Force report, “Reinvention Plan: Toward a Community Centered Justice Initiative” (viewable on the city’s website).
The seven-page draft resolution says that many of the reforms that the Police Reform Task Force have asked for in the first section, “Culture and Training,” have already been taken up by police. However, the resolution says that more training should be included, especially from outside academic institutions and organizations.
Under Section 2, “Policy,” the resolution highlights actions already taken by the police to improve transparency, such as posting all department policies on its website, and that monitoring use of force, including that of Tasers and similar weapons, must be continued and tracked.
The resolution also calls for the chief of police to look at policies regarding First Amendment rights to protest and the chain of command when another police force is called to assist. Removal of no-knock warrants will be considered, but the draft says they still may be needed in some situations. Police are not allowed to ask about the immigration status of individuals in non-criminal situations, the resolution says.
The resolution “acknowledges” the task force’s recommendation that the police work closely with social service providers, but also says this is already going on, in Section 3 “Community Centered Reinvention.”
In Section 4, “Transparency and Accountability,” the resolution agrees with the task force report, to look at the ways in which data can be collected and shared and that a Data Manager position should be created when the budget allows.
Still in contention is the idea of a Civilian Oversight Board of some type. The resolution says it might fly in the face of state law or require a change of the city’s charter.
City council members thanked all involved for delivering a report and resolution in under seven months.
A special meeting of the city council is planned for March 23 and a final vote on March 31, but the way public input will be taken is still under consideration.
One local resident told FoothillsBusinessDaily.com off-the-record that he was disappointed in the way that the chief of police is the one most responsible for implementing the plan. Another couple people said they were unhappy that the council seemed not to have read the report or resolution before last night’s meeting.
“I am happy with the draft. There has been a lot of hard work put into creating a way forward that has input from all sides. That’s not an easy accomplishment,” Shaun Wiggins, the chair to the city’s Community Outreach Committee, texted. He echoed what others wrote to FoothillsBusinessDaily.com. “I am disappointed that there seemed to be a bit of unfamiliarity about the report with the City Council. This was not thrown in front of them at the last minute. We all knew this day was coming.”