New justice commission ‘on our way’ to reforms
KINGSTON, N.Y. » Extending restorative justice opportunities to young adults as a way to stem the tide of mass incarceration, creating a police oversight committee, requiring police to identify themselves and explain the reason for every encounter, and helping the public better understand their rights during police stops are among proposals being discussed by the Ulster County Justice and Reform Commission.
The commission outlined those proposals and others during its second public town hall-style meeting held via Zoom on Monday.
The commission was appointed by County Executive Pat Ryan in response to an executive order by Gov. Andrew Cuomo that all local governments in New York that have police departments “perform a comprehensive review of current police force deployments, strategies, policies, procedures and practices, and develop a plan to improve such deployments, strategies, policies, procedures and practices.”
Although Monday was only its second public meeting, the Ul
ster County commission has been meeting regularly since June and is “well on our way to accomplishing what our governor has ordered,” said Chairman Clint Johnson, the county attorney.
Commission members have been focusing on four key areas: ending mass incarceration, increasing police accountability, addressing systemic racial bias, and healing divisions between law-enforcement agencies and the communities they serve.
District Attorney David Clegg said Ulster County should look to extend its restorative justice program to people who are between 18 and 26 years old and use pre-arrest diversion programs to prevent the “criminalization” of some people.
Commission members and public participants said there also is a need for the probation and parole officials to rethink their decisions to reincarcerate individuals who commit “technical violations.”
Another topic that attracted significant discussion was police handling of mental health calls.
Saugerties resident Tyrone Wilson said that often when police are called to deal with a mental health crisis, police treat the individual like a criminal rather than a person in need of help.
“We lose the fact that the reality of the situation is that it’s an illness,” Wilson said.
It was a concern that resident Emma Augustine, who said she works with the developmentally disabled, shared. “If you don’t know how to talk to them, they’re not going to know what you’re saying and they’re not going to know what to do,” she said.
Commission members discussed ways to use the county’s mobile mental health unit to assist during calls involving someone with mental health issues, including having 911 calls for mental health issues diverted to the county’s mobile mental health unit.
“There has to be a strong collaboration between law enforcement and mental health,” Johnson said, adding that the commission expects to recommend expanding the county’s mental health team to enable it to respond to those calls.
Implicit bias and systemic racism within law enforcement also were discussed. Some community members said police handle calls involving people of color differently than those involving white people.
County Sheriff Juan Figueroa said he is changing training within his office to include presentations by people who have experienced that bias. He also said community members need to assert their rights when confronted by a police officer.
Figueroa additionally said he plans to change the oath that sheriff’s deputies take “so they know what their responsibilities are to the people they serve.”
The commission expects to take the comments they heard during Monday’s public session to help flesh out recommendations that will then be presented at another public forum.