Town to start implementing police reforms

WOODSTOCK, N.Y. » The Town Board has agreed to start implementing some of the recommendations in the Woodstock Police Reform and Reinvention Committee’s 76-page report, which will be sent to the state by April 1 as designated municipal policy.

Town Supervisor Bill McKenna said during a videoconference meeting Tuesday that some of the changes can take effect immediately.

“I will be appointing ... a committee of five to review the recommendations and prioritize ... which ones really make the most sense and which ones fit, and to look at funding how we’re going to pay for a lot of this,” McKenna said.

The recommendation that the town police department be accredited “is a nobrainer,” McKenna said, noting that he and Police Chief Clayton Keefe “have talked about this for a couple of years.”

“I think we should just instruct the chief to get the ball rolling and at least get an understanding of what we need to achieve that,” he said.

The reform committee’s report, released two weeks ago, recommended, among other things, that the social media activity of officers and other police department employees be examined to determine any unprofessional conduct or involvement in racist groups.

The report also recommends a “comprehensive code of conduct for officers, all staff and volunteers who work within the department, both on and off duty,” as well as annual background checks of all town police department personnel.

Also, the report calls for a policy that “bans the membership in hate groups including, but not limited to, the OathKeepers and Proud Boys.”

The Woodstock Police Department has about 30 employees: 10 full-time officers, 10 part-time officers, four full-time dispatchers, and between four and six part-time dispatchers.

The Woodstock Police Reform and Reinvention Committee, like others across the state, was formed in response to a June 2020 executive order by Gov. Andrew Cuomo that all municipalities and counties in New York with law-enforcement departments review police practices and make recommendations for any necessary changes. The reports must be accepted by the governing bodies no later than April 1, 2021.