I heard you at protests
Much has been said about the death of George Floyd and the protests that have followed. I believe — for many Americans and for citizens of Stamford — this is a conscious awakening moment. I attended the demonstrations in our city over the past week calling for justice and reminding our community of the inequities that exist in our society. It is obvious we need change in our country and there is a movement of people anxious to see that change.
For decades many across our country have been calling for change — with the NAACP, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and ministers of faith leading the way. But what I have seen is that many new voices have joined and embraced this message. These voices are a coalition of multicultural and multiracial young people who are demanding meaningful reform of police policies. Not half-measures, but truly impactful changes that live up to our nation’s hopeful vision that all are created equal.
With COVID-19, and now with the deaths of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and too many more, the need to address racial inequalities in our society has become unavoidable — and it is the youngest among us who are now pointing it out. Our teenagers and young adults have stepped forward. They are insisting that the America they will inherit must be one that not only recognizes the racial and economic inequities that have been spotlighted by the pandemic, but an America that will also resolve the injustices that exist today. The message from these protests has been very clear: we must acknowledge the implicit bias and racism that has led us to this point and work to eliminate it.
I have heard the message loud and clear — meaningful change must be made in Stamford and across the nation. Over the past few years we have already made changes in Stamford to address these issues. Our police and fire commissions have women and representatives of color, we have been hiring a diverse group of new officers, and we have implemented police body cameras. Stamford already has the lowest serious crime rate of any city in New England, and very few cases of excessive force by the police. But as I said at the protest marches on Wednesday and Sunday: I hear you — we need to do more.
I am directing the Police Commission to take a more active role in reviewing police disciplinary cases — particularly those that involve allegations of police misconduct or excessive force.
I am directing Police Chief Timothy Shaw, as part of our shared goal of achieving state accreditation for our police department, to bring in an outside consultant to review our police policies. This review will — as necessary — update or add to our policies to explicitly:
1 Ban chokeholds and all neck restraints,
1 Require de-escalation,
1 Exhaust all nonlethal alternatives before shooting,
1 Require a warning before shooting,
1 Implement a duty for officers to intervene when they observe excessive force,
1 Ban shooting at moving vehicles, and;
1 Provide more accessible data on officers’ use of excessive force.
We will also be improving our police training protocols:
1 Stamford’s Police Department will use funds provided by a federal grant to double the number of officers who receive crisis intervention training focusing on de-escalation.
1 We are expanding our implicit bias training to include classes instructed by minority officers in our department about community policing in largely minority communities.
1 We will bring in a national advocate for police reform to instruct our police force on implicit bias training.
1 And finally, we will conduct hidden bias training and awareness for city managers in other departments, including my cabinet and me.
Stamford is the most diverse city in Connecticut. We have an obligation to make this great city a safe place for all residents — regardless of your skin color, sexual orientation, country of origin, residency status, or language you speak. Stamford is home for all of us.
I believe these changes we are making will provide better safety for our residents and more transparency for our community. My staff and I have already been in contact with community leaders and activist organizations such as the NAACP to continue this dialogue. These conversations will inform what further actions we can make to ensure everyone in our diverse city can feel safe and call Stamford home. I pledge to our community I will stand with you and do my part to help achieve the dream of a just life for all.