Mental health team sought

Proposal part of reforms for Schenectady police

City police agree an officer in a patrol car isn’t always the best response for someone in a mental health crisis.

But sometimes, there are no other options.

As part of a package of proposed reforms to the department, Schenectady police want to create a specialized team that would respond to reports of people in mental health crises, long flagged as a mounting stressor for all law enforcement — not just Schenectady.

At present, just two officers are dedicated to addressing substance abuse and mental health issues, main drivers of police and community contact.

Under a plan released by city police on Monday, community engagement officers trained in harm reduction and community health would fan out into the city’s neighborhoods and connect people with professional counselors.

To defuse tensions, they’d be clad in polo shirts — not full uniforms.

“This is done with the understanding that although police officers cannot replace a professional counselor or peer advocate, they are often the first on scene and the first to make contact,” wrote city police in their report. “Having the right person at the right time who has a better understanding of an individual’s needs and challenges could increase the chances of a successful outcome for the individual.”

At present, resources are stretched, which means a radio car is often the default response if a provider like Catholic

Charities and Northern Rivers cannot be located.

But while the plan sketched out the faint outlines of a newly-empowered unit, and members of the steering committee guiding police reform efforts embraced the concept, finances remain a sticking point.

Several members of the panel, which contains a cross section of clergy, community activists and police, wondered if funds should be transferred directly from city police coffers to social service agencies.

That, in essence, is the root of the phrase “defunding the police,” said Mikayla Foster, an activist with All of Us.

“This would be a fantastic time to talk about what funding and defunding would look like, and I know that’s an iffy subject for a lot of people on the call,” Foster said.

For years, city police have taken on the increased workload with no additional funding, said Chief Eric Clifford, who said he was opposed to any cuts to the department.

“The police were never funded to handle these issues in the first place,” Clifford said.

Ideally, social service agencies could eventually take over responses fully, he said.

“If a police officer never has to go out into the community for anything to do with harm reduction, or community health initiatives, that’s the ideal scenario,” Clifford said.

Assistant Chief Michael Seber said the department has already incurred deep cuts as a result of belt-tightening amid pandemic-induced revenue shortfalls, including a hiring freeze that has left nine officer positions unfilled.

Total spending for the 2021 adopted budget clocks in at $20.1 million.

Panelists, who reviewed the draft plan for the first time on Wednesday, agreed police must rethink how they respond to mental health calls.

Yet they failed to reach a consensus on the recommendation, just one of 20 issued by city police as part of the state-mandated process.

Several were flatly against the department using the initiative as a way to hire more officers, including Rev. Phil Grigsby and Foster.

Imam Genghis Khan said he was opposed to cuts.

City officials, he said, should explore any avenue that is “not taking away funding from officers.”

Just three proposals were discussed on Wednesday, prompting the city to schedule additional work sessions on Thursday and Friday in order to meet their strict timeline ending with adoption by City Council on March 22.

Grigsby called the process “rushed” and said the panel needed more than 36 hours advance notice to review the proposals.

“Some of them require more time and work than the time we have,” Grigsby said.

Clifford on Wednesday also outlined plans for city police to improve how it collects “use of force” data, information it eventually aims to make available to the public.

The release of the draft report marks the end of a months-long process by city police to reform the department with public feedback, a process prompted by the national discussion on police brutality and systemic racism last summer following the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd at the hands of police.

Nearly 200 people participated in a series of panel discussions last fall, forming the baseline for city police’s list of recommendations.

Still to be discussed: Anti-racism training, plans for a police substation — a presence residents in Hamilton Hill and Mont Pleasant have long asked for, police said — as well as anti-racism training.

Clifford outlined a warp-speed timeline for the committee, which is formally known as the Schenectady Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative, to weigh in. New York required all police departments to have reform plans filed by April 1 to be eligible for future state funding.

Panelists planned to meet Thursday and again on Friday to continue reviewing the proposals.

“At the bare minimum, we need to have these recommendations finalized by Friday,” Clifford said.