MOVING FORWARD
City Council approves police reform plan
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » The Saratoga Springs City Council has approved a resolution regarding police reform and reinvention.
In a special City Council meeting on Wednesday, the resolution called “NYS Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative Plan” was approved in accordance with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order No. 203.
On Aug. 4, 2020, the city’s mayor and council established the Saratoga Springs Police Reform Task Force.
After months of review and discussion, 11 members of the community, together with the city’s police chief and attorney, submitted their recommendations for the City Council to improve police force deployments, strategies, policies, procedures and practices.
The task force’s 50-point plan, titled “Reinvention Plan: Toward a Community Centered Justice Initiative” was presented to the Saratoga Springs City Council on Friday, March 5.
Many of the task force recommendations have already been, or are currently being, undertaken or implemented by the police department, according to a press release from the office
The task force’s 50-point plan, titled “Reinvention Plan: Toward a Community Centered Justice Initiative” was presented to the Saratoga Springs City Council on Friday, March 5.
of Mayor Meg Kelly, noting that the police chief will review and consider the recommendations accepted by the council and provide for implementation in a manner consistent with such recommendations.
The resolution provides for an independent advisory committee to be created by the mayor by June 1, 2021. This committee, the release said, will assist the public safety commissioner and the police chief in developing an implementation timeline, subject to applicable laws, rules, regulations, budget appropriations, collective bargaining and contractual obligations, and report progress on a quarterly basis to the community and the council.
One of the first priorities of the independent advisory committee will be to review the recommendation for a Civilian Review Board, the release continued, stating that the scope of authority and responsibilities of such a board must be defined and then considered within the provisions of the city’s charter before it can be established.
As with other boards commissioned by the city, a Civilian Review Board would also be subject to applicable laws, rules, regulations, budget appropriations, collective bargaining and contractual obligations, the release noted.
Commissioner of Finance Michele Madigan provided comments during Wednesday’s meeting.
“It’s well done and it directly responds to the rec
ommendations made by the Saratoga Springs Police Reform Task Force and frankly does exactly what has been requested by the task force to move their recommendations along for action,” she said of the document, thanking the entire task force for its work in bringing the plan forward and expressing her belief that each of the 50 recommended action items requires further details and a response. “This is a resolution that should be soundly supported by all members of our community because it leads us down a real pathway of dialogue, consensus and change.”
Madigan also suggested sending the resolution along to the governor for comment and recommendation. She said, “I think our task force did an amazing job and has presented us a model that can be used throughout our great state.”
The full resolution can be viewed online at https://www.saratoga-springs.org/2566/Police-ReformTask-Force, along with the Police Reform Task Force recommendations and plan, survey results, community stakeholder responses and more.