Town leaders stress need for unbiased policing

The town Human Rights Commission is reviewing municipal policy to determine any revisions that might be needed to promote unbiased policing.

Town Supervisor Bill McKenna said at a recent Town Board meeting that the killing of George Floyd and other African-American suspects by police has prompted reviews of all municipal interactions with residents.

“The commission is currently developing a personnel policy that will apply to all town employees and volunteers and ensure equal treatment for all,” McKenna said. “Toward that end, in recognizing that no system is perfect, the town of Woodstock urges anyone who believes they have been subject to bias treatment to contact the Human Rights Commission.”

Town Board members said they support the peaceful protests that have been held around the nation in the weeks since Floyd died May 25 in Minneapolis after a white police office ground his knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes as Floyd was

lying on the ground, handcuffed.

“I’m glad to see that the world has woken up,” Councilwoman Laura Ricci said. “All the millions of people that demonstrated worldwide is an awakening, and already different levels of government are looking to make some real change.”

Ricci also said the town must put an emphasis on hiring police officers who seek to avoid the use of force.

“[For] any police officer in Woodstock, the expectation would be to de-escalate a situation,” Ricci said.

Councilman Reginald Earls, the first black member of the Town Board, said the keys to creating effective change are speaking up when there are problems and having compassion when someone says a problem exists.

“I think one thing, as a society, that we lack is a basic empathy,” Earls said. “Sympathy is ... where you look at [something], and say, ‘Isn’t that terrible.’ Empathy is where you’re really able to put yourself in that other person’s shoes.”