Community feedback on Police Reform Plan

Response #1

Hi,

I am an engineer at Corning and have been reading through the plan for reform here.I wholeheartedly support going through this process to improve our community’s policing. I believe there must be other small towns that have successfully completed a similar effort, so perhaps one item could be looking to them to find out what has worked? Many of these items I agree with … especially Training items 3 and 4. Kudos to you all for all you’ve done so far!

For victim privacy, this is going to be very tricky in a town as small as Corning. In the past, I have been watching local news, while living in another much larger town, and the lead story was a close friend who had been the victim of a crime. She didn’t tell me about it, but I could tell from her voice and the background house shown that it was her.

Thank you for the actions you’re taking here!

Response#2Hello Police Reform Team,

Thank you for your leadership on this very important effort! Please see our comments below.

Theme Reform Item Suggestions

Equality & Social Justice

#2. Provide Training for Civil Service Exam

We recommend considering additional advertisements to marginalized populations to help ensure they are aware of the training assistance.

Transparency & Accountability

#9. Pursue a County-wide Law Enforcement Case Review Process

We should clarify whether citizens are able to serve as members, and we should specify the types of cases that will be included in the review process.

Transparency & Accountability

#12. Implement Advanced Data Tracking System

We hope that the new system enables the city to collect racial demographic data relating to traffic stops.

Transparency & Accountability

#13. Evaluate Potential Body Camera Program

We believe that body cameras would be beneficial to both officers and citizens. We understand the financial burden this type of system incurs along with the cost of maintenance. The relative importance of body cameras to our community is so significant that we would like to explore opportunities to work with the City of Corning to offset the initial setup and operational costs of body cameras in order to expedite the inclusion in daily

police operations.Community Relations

#1. Launch Citizens Police Academy We think this is a great idea.

Training#6. Provide Mental Health Awareness Training

This is also a great addition. We recommend considering these points for inclusion in the training: 1) Teach officers how to identify individuals with a mental health illness. 2) Teach officers how to properly address individuals with mental health illnesses.

Training

#4. Expand Less than Lethal Weapons Options and Defensive Tactics

We would like to see the timeline adjusted for this to occur within two years.

Policies & Procedures

#3. Ensure Victim Sensitivity

We suggest the wording of this reform item sayEnsure Victim Privacy. The intent of this reform action is not clear as currently written.

General Timelines

Some of the completion timelines seem extremely long. Please re-think the time frames given for medium and long period. (3-4 years and 5-6 years). Also, please consider changing to exact target dates such as Q1 2021 or Jan 2021.

Response #3To the Committee:

Thank you for the opportunity to participate in the Police Reform process to date. I participated in the stakeholder meeting process and was also part of the LGBTQ group that met with the mayor to give specific feedback and recommendations. In addition I attended report back sessions for the survey and draft plan and have engaged in many discussions with fellow citizens and community stakeholders.

While I appreciate the efforts the committee has made to include a range of community voices in the discussions so far, I am disappointed that the draft plan does not appear to demonstrate much commitment to creating sustained structural changes that would address the issues identified by the governor and the community. The most concrete elements of the plan are items required by the governor, and the areas where real change is needed are addressed in vague terms. As someone who has worked in social service agencies that rely on government funding or other resources that require rigorous accountabilities, I was discouraged by the lack specific goals, measurable outcomes with timelines, and clear processes and principles. This leaves me with a sense that the community engagement process has been less about the spirit of the governor's requirement that police and community create a collaborative vision and more about engaging in a process that "checks the box" but does not require significant commitment to actual reform.

As a mental health professional who works with vulnerable and marginalized populations, I am concerned that the plan does not seriously address the experience and concerns of people of color, lgbtq people, women, and people living with serious mental health issues. For example, in the section on transparency and accountability, there is an item that identifies "standardizing" the complaint process across jurisdictions as a process. What I heard community members express concerns about was not standardizing, but about the real or perceived conflict involved in having complaints addressed internally by police. People asked for an independent complaints review process because marginalized people who have either been subject to police violence or come from communities where their safety has not been prioritized by police do not feel safe to file a complaint. The draft plan does nothing to address this issue.

Similarly, the item that creates a group to look into the body camera issue gives the impression that there is no real interest in addressing what community members have clearly said would give them more confidence that police will be held accountable for their actions.

The initiatives that address community relations put the burden on community members to learn more about police. But it is not clear how or whether police are committed to learn more about the community or that the community will actually have a seat at the table when actual decisions about policies and practices are being made. The LGBTQ group made a specific request that police identify officer(s) whose job duties include being a liaison with stakeholder communities. Again, as community stakeholders, we would see this kind of concrete action as a demonstration of commitment to actually change how policing happens.

I hope the committee will take the feedback of community members seriously and make significant improvements to the draft plan before submitting it to the governor. Use the time before the April deadline to create something that community stakeholders feel more confident about. One where we see our input reflected in more substantial deliverables with clear, measurable outcomes and timelines.

I heard a representative from Corning Community College suggest shifting the frame from a customer satisfaction approach (as reflected in the survey) to a more rigorous focus on identifying standards of community accountability when performing public service. This approach sounds more in line with the spirit of the governor's requirement, and given the realities of resources in these times, CCC sounds like an ideal local partner to support police to improve not only the plan, but also the implementation and evaluation of these change processes.

Thank you for your attention and your work to date,

Response #4Police Reform and Reinvention CollaborativeTo: Members of the Reform Plan drafting committee

Since the announcement of the NYS Executive Order requiring a comprehensive review to address community trust and racial bias in policing, the City of Corning and Steuben County Sherriff’s Office have taken a leadership role in creating dialogue meant to be responsive to evolving community needs. The Police Reform Collaborative began with the real and honest assessment that racial disparities exist in this community as evidenced by the local statistics of the criminal justice process. Feedback from the various stakeholder groups identified critical focus areas. After months of effort, the proposed draft reform plan identifies important themes in creating change. SUNY Corning Community College offers the following feedback and identifies potential areas for collaboration.

Feedback on the Reform Plan

The five themes provide a broad framework that can potentially support a multi-tiered approach in addressing inequities and building community trust.

The NYS executive order asks that police units build public trust in the context of systemic racism. In order to do that, policing standards must be responsive to the communities they serve. The most important outcome of this reform process will be to institute the rights of the community to affect policing practices today and in the future. We applaud the theme of Community Relations with additional feedback provided in the next section.

The Critical Role of Continuous Community Engagement and Review

SUNY CCC strongly supports the Community Relations theme and its intent to inform and educate the community about law enforcement. In addition, we recommend the following.

Transparency & Accountability #15:

o Reform Item: Institute the rights of the community to provide input on police practiceso Description: Create a community board or process that will allow the public to routinely input and influence decisions about policing practices and have the opportunity to represent current community values and priorities; ensure the diversity of the community is included in the process.

By establishing this standard, it will inform other items such as Transparency & Accountability #13 – Evaluating Potential Body Camera Program. The community would have the right to influence the decision and based on initial stakeholder conversations, there seems to be significant support for the program.

Transparency & Accountability #16 -

o Reform Item: Institute a routine cycle of external reviewo Description: Schedule a routine cycle to engage external community members and experts in the field of community health/safety and criminal justice to provide an objective equity assessment of policy, practice, and outcomes with recommendations based on a methodical assessment tool.

By establishing this standard, it will allow for the continuous improvement of practice and build trusting community relationships.

Collaborations with SUNY Corning Community College

As noted in the prior letter, SUNY Corning Community College has shared interests with the Collaborative.

Align criminal justice workforce education with current knowledge on social determinants of crime and systemic racism.

Address obstacles for recruiting diverse candidates into the police force.

As the host of the Southern Tier Law Enforcement Academy serving Zone 12 and with the College’s Community Health and Justice Program, we have already started to change the curriculum to focus on people interactions while streamlining what had been repetitive and duplicative law classes. With the curriculum changes to the Basic Course for Police Officers, we see potential in making more changes quickly. Our goal is to improve de-escalation training and increase non-lethal force options which we hope can also serve as in-service training for current officers. With our Workforce Education department, we are ready to assist interested candidates in preparing for the civil service exam and can provide customer service training. In addition, our Collegiate Recovery Center with trained peer advisors and engaged faculty can provide additional training related to communities in recovery. The College is also fortunate to have an internationally recognized faculty member as a resource, Gregg Caruso who has conducted research and published in the area of criminal justice reform.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment and hope that this is an opportunity for our institutions to collaborate in a long-term commitment towards social justice in our community.

Response #5My only criticism of the police reform plan is that is it doesn’t mention the need to establish community oversight boards both for the City of Corning and for Steuben County so that their police agencies are truly accountable to the communities they serve. This will motivate citizen involvement so that policing becomes a community activity and we will have real community policing. The goals

listed in the plan are admirable and necessary but need to be implemented under the aegis of a community oversight board.

Response #6Dear Police Reform Committee Members:

My name is XXXX XXXX. Twenty years ago, I moved with my wife and four-year-old daughter to Corning. We came from a small town just across the border, Wellsboro, PA. We were happy in this town. It was affordable, picturesque, and only 20 minutes from where I worked as an English Professor at Mansfield University. We lived in a small yellow house with a large backyard rimmed by pine trees. We were happy in this town, until we came out as a lesbian couple. At that point, we became the target of a campaign of harassment that ranged from obscene phone calls to drive-by taunts to beer cans hurled at our house. It didn’t matter if we were pushing our daughter in her stroller, or sitting on our porch, or spending time in our backyard. We were fair game all the time. The harassment culminated in the theft of our rainbow flag from our front porch and daughter’s sandbox and all of her toys from the backyard of our home. When we called the police, they said it was “not really a crime.”

To this day, I am not sure why it was not really a crime. Because we were lesbians? Because no one was physically injured? But when I saw my daughter’s face the day she ran into the backyard to find it empty, I knew we could not stay there. We could not—would not—raise our child in a place where her safety was not secure, and would not be protected.

We moved to Corning because we felt it would be more diverse and welcoming, even though it meant leaving our beloved yellow house, even though the taxes were higher and the commute longer. We came to Corning because New York is by law a safer state for an LGBTQ person to live then Pennsylvania. It is clear from Governor Cuomo’s mandate to local police departments that New York state should be a safer place for everyone to live, members of the BIPOC community as well as the LGBTQ community.

I was disappointed, then, when I participated in an LGBTQ listening session with the Reform Committee and was told that the First Amendment guarantees the freedom of any individual to harass people on the street, and that the Second Amendment ensures that anyone can bring a rifle to a protest for the explicit intention of intimidating participants in that protest. I find it infuriating that the First Amendment can be used to silence me, to suppress my freedom of speech, my freedom to live an un-harassed life in my own town. And I consider it a travesty that I again find myself in a place where I cannot count on the police to keep me and my loved ones safe.

We have in these past months seen just how precarious our democracy is, and how tenuous the rights of minorities when it comes to the role of the police in their lives. While this plan is a start, we need the leaders of this community to step up and show that you can do more than draft a plan. True

transparency will necessitate the formation of a discipline review board that includes members of the LGBTQ and BIPOC communities. It will necessitate a greater police presence in the neighborhoods—not the occasional cruiser, but police on bikes and on foot, showing that you are accessible, available, and as much a part of our community as we are. It will necessitate the demilitarization of the police, which will require training by professionals. It will necessitate body cameras. It will necessitate the hiring of minorities and the involvement of mental health professionals. It will necessitate training of 911 dispatchers.

Too often, any suggestions for change in this town are met by the response that “we just don’t have the funds.” It is time for that excuse to end. The governor has issued this mandate. Call on his office for the money to support your vision. Stand up for us, your constituents, your neighbors, and your friends. Don’t let this draft be the end of the discussion. Don’t let discussion take the place of action. True reform requires vision and action. Leaving one town for another has shown me that crossing a state line is not enough. A town must have leadership to make it livable for all its inhabitants. This is a step in the right direction. I am sure you have received many responses to this draft, and I know that much time has gone into the formation of those responses. Let what people have written guide you in realizing the vision that I know you share as much as I do: a safe and equitable community, inclusive and welcoming of all who live here.

In solidarity for a better future,

Response #7Everyone involved in this process should be greatly commended. This can well serve as a model for many other counties in New York State. Super job!

My contribution to the discussion is as follows.Equality & Social Justice

1. “Protected class” only? Does this not apply to all citizens as well?2. Enforcement of false summoning law. Will this dampen public involvement? Is this

determined by an Officer after the event?3. Judging “imminent threat” is difficult and probably only resolved in a courtroom.

Transparency & Accountability1. Office of Special Investigation – I am surprised this does not already exist.2. Public access to records – is this for other Police Departments only? This should be closely

managed and controlled to avoid being a deterrent to recruitment.3. Discharge of weapon – how is this currently enforced and reviewed?4. Regarding “Use of Force”, how is this defined quantified? On-line data? Why not under FOIA?5. Why would “Use of Force” data be made available to the public?6. Complaint process – I assume this is for inter-departmental information and is confidential?7. Assume incidents are tracked based all demographics, mental conditions, gender, race, etc.?

8. Review “necessity” of body cams? Thought this was the standard in NYS.9. What is meant by a “sustainable” body cam program?

Community Relations1. Transparency – online access of procedures for the education of an interested public. Great!2. Dialogue groups – do on a regular basis, with reporting in newspaper to increase awareness of

on-going reform progress. Keep this in the “public square”.3. Strengthening community relations – has there been any discussion about the bearing of

police uniforms on public perceptions? Sometimes I feel that appearance could be toned down in color (not black) and military features. Is this a constructive message to send regarding “community integration and equality”?

4. Police and community attitudes should be free of bias and prejudgment on all sides, following a philosophy of “First trust, then be trusted” (ie. give and you will receive)

5. We’re all citizens of this community, merely walking in different sets of shoes.

Training1. Regarding #5, use intensive, very realistic, man-on-man training sessions to practice de-

escalation situations, as one might undergo in military training.2. Employ focused training in non-lethal procedures (ie. leg shots with taser or gun). Is taser

technology adequate? Review and evaluate state-of-the-art equipment.3. Persons “behaving badly” have some degree of “mental” imbalance at the time, no matter

how minor. Consider this when approaching individuals. They believe they have a valid, “rationalized” reason for this bad behavior.

4. Dispatch training rel. to mental health issues – in approach and assessment skills.5. Family disputes/situations would hopefully involve a treatment provider. These disputes can

evoke extremely violent behavior if mishandled.6. Police can be trained for mental health interactions, but the presence of an armed officer

dressed in black does not lend itself to de-escalation. A “civilian” mediator can more “softly” intercede and defuse, whenever at all possible.

7. Always have mental health personnel available – at the station or immediately on-call.8. These training proposals are very encouraging and well thought-out! Good work …

Policies & Procedures1. What is the current status of police union involvement/influence in resolving issues in Steuben

County? Has this been a problem in the recent past?

Response #8Please find attached my response to Corning’s Police Reform Plan. The Word document contains my general thoughts. The Excel Document offers specific suggestions for individual items in the plan. Thank you for inviting me to be a part of this process:

Response to Police Reform PlanTo the plan development team:First of all, I am so grateful the work this team has undertaken. Implementing a plan of this scale will be a large job for a long time to come, and I hope citizens can support you in your efforts. I was happy

to be a part of discussing it and for the opportunity to provide feedback. I’m attaching a document that has specific feedback for several of the action items listed. I thought I would share here some overall thoughts and impression I’m left with after engaging with the team as well as local BIPOC citizens, whose voice I wanted to make sure I heard. With regard to the plan:

Thought should be given to who will be the point person for initiatives and how progress will be measured.

As someone who works in the field of evaluation, I thought the survey tool could have been better designed to get more valuable information. I’m not sure who developed it, but for future versions of it, I would recommend working with professional evaluators to help you design the tool so the information is statistically valid and less leading and prone to ask questions I simply had no information with which to answer. Money I have spent in my work to hire professional evaluators has always been money well spent and often saved me even more.

General thoughts as I reflect on this process: I grew up in a small town much like Corning. As a boy and teenager, our local police officers

were a visual and friendly presence in our community. As an adult, it appears that more and more police officers appear to be something of a para-military presence when visible and that isn’t very often. I feel disconnected and intimidated by police presence now, and I’m a big white guy. I would very much appreciate the feeling of seeing police officers and feeling like I’m meeting some I can assume values me and my safety, and perhaps even being able to recognize their face if not a name.

One of the things I find most hopeful about the plan is the involvement of citizens to help realize this. If anything, I feel like there are perhaps even more opportunities to do that than appear here. I hope you will consider looking for opportunities to engage with the community that do not involve crisis events and problems.

Finally, as I said, I very much appreciate the work you are doing. Please feel free to call on me if I can support your work in any way.

Many thanks

Category Reform Item Comment

This is good.

Training

Training

Training

Training

Training

Training

Training Glad to see this.

Training

Training

1. Ban Chokeholds

3. Ensure Victim Sensitivity

Transparency & Accountability

14. Provide Public Access to NY Minimum Critical Standards

Community Relations

1. Launch Citizens Police Academy

I really like this. As a citizen I want to learn more about what our law enforcement officers do, not just for my own education, but so that I can support them in their efforts. I believe our police are a valuable part of our community and like other institutions need community support.

Community Relations

2. Raise Public Awareness about Police Services

Community Relations

3. Strengthen Community Relations

Community Relations

4. Enhance Customer Service

Who will do this training? Is there a budget for it? How will growth be assessed?

1. Establish and Promote Core Values

I think these things can be powerful and sometimes they are not. The most successful and useful ones seem to have the input and buy-in of the people who will be asked to uphold those values, which means anyone who works in law enforcement.

2. Expand Education Incentives3. Expand De-escalation Training

Glad to see this. I hope there will be a professionaly administered psychological component to this since issues that arise in this area do so in part because we don't do our most high level critical thinking in the heat of the moment. It's good to know where our triggers are and how to handle them.

4. Expand Less than Lethal Weapons Options and Defensive Tactics Training5. Provide High Risk Incident Training6. Provide Mental Health Awareness Training

Again, this is another place where the help of professionals in psychology could come in helpful.

7. Provide Joint Training and Coordination between Law Enforcement and Social Workers8. Promote Referrals to Alternative Services9. Promote Employee Assistance Programs

Very glad to see this. It is not an easy time to be part of a police force, and the world is changing fast. I can see how it would be overwhelming.

Policies & ProceduresPolicies &

Procedures2. Require Medical Response for Arrestees

Policies & Procedures

Policies & Procedures

4. Strive to Meet All New York State Critical Law Enforcement Standards

Response #9Hello,

Attached are my comments regarding the Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative Draft Plan. I've attached both Word and PDF files of my comments:Dear Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative Members,

My name is XXXX XXXX. I’ve lived in Corning for more than 8 years and in that time, Corning has become my home.

Through my work for The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes, my participation as a board member of the Steuben County Conference & Visitor’s Bureau, and my position as a member of the Vestry of Christ Episcopal Church I’ve come to love our dynamic and caring community, one whose people work to support and better those lives around them.

I’m happy to live in a community that has chosen to stand on the side of justice, transparency, and accountability by taking up efforts of police reform and reinvention.

However, as encouraged as I am that we’ve taken these first steps, there’s much to improve upon the initial results. We can and must do better.

First, the survey sent out avoided a hard look at institutional racism and the structures that propagate it. Rather it seemed to focus on the individuals within those structures, with an eye towards identifying whether there are any bad apples as opposed to identifying what can be done if and when those bad apples are found.

Second, by aggregating the survey responses into a pooled result as opposed to breaking them down by each department, the data lacks critical analysis. With the potential for overall positive responses falsely drowning out negative responses in smaller departments, or at minimum, giving a skewed perspective of community responses, the results do not tell the whole story. Additionally, despite its flaws, the analysis disregards serious issues with which our local Hispanic population experiences the police.

Third, as presented, the draft reform plan is more logical framework than plan. It’s devoid of any context and seems as if it should be the addendum to a much larger document. This plan exists in a vacuum with no mention of where we are as a community, no vision for where we want to be, no summation of the survey results, no indication for how the survey results and stakeholder meetings impacted the creation of the plan, no benchmarking, no detailed timelines, no measurable outcomes, and no mention of parties responsible for implementing the plan.

The draft plan also misses the opportunity to reexamine whole processes. Instead of looking for realignments in services that could ease the burden unnecessarily placed upon our police departments, such as dealing with mental health crisis, the plan seeks to reinforce these services and will only add to the existing burden.

The draft plan also lacks steps for transparency by not ensuring statistics, contracts, hiring processes, and other practices are not made readily accessible via a web-based portal.

And finally, the draft plan lacks true measures for accountability by not creating a community led review board that is separate from city and police department personnel.

Coupled together, the survey, its analysis, and the resulting draft reform plan paint a picture of arriving at a hoped-for-conclusion that gives little indication of true introspection, reflection, and action, and one that seems intended to meet a pre-determined deadline for completing the reform process.It’s disappointing because we have a once in a generation opportunity to acknowledge that black lives matter just as much as the majority of our homogeneous population, we have the opportunity to begin the process of dismantling the white supremacy that is woven throughout the fabric of our nation, and we have the opportunity to lead by example through thoughtful and meaningful action.

At minimum we can conduct a new survey, one that is both designed, delivered, and analyzed by trained social scientists. At minimum, the raw survey data already collected, although imperfect, can be fully released to be analyzed by trained social scientists. And at minimum, the draft plan can be treated as only the first part of a greater plan.

But, again, all of this is the bare minimum that should be expected.

We can and should do more.

It’s this timidity in approach that saddens me the most because it’s indicative of a lack of willingness to be the bold leaders that I know we can be.

We are emerging from four years of the normalization of hatred, intolerance, and divisiveness, a period where the vilest elements of our society have been emboldened to act with impunity. They have been told that because no laws have been broken, it’s ok to carry an unloaded long gun to a rally to intimidate counter protestors. They’ve been told that because no laws have been broken, it’s ok to drive a truck down main street to hurl racial epitaphs at black high school students and homophobic slurs at our LGBTQ community members.

We’re left to ask what kind of community do we want to be?

Do we want to be a community that does the bare minimum required under the law, that accepts if someone is meeting the threshold of legality that we are going to remain silent and not condemn actions that terrorize those members of our population this reform process is supposed to protect?

Or rather, do we want to be that shining city on the hill, engaging with the community to understand that real psychological and emotional violence is occurring, that their lives matter, and that we are here to support them?

A through line runs directly from our community’s silence in the face of theses campaigns of intimidation and terrorism and directly to the lost opportunity in the draft plan as it exists.

But by acting with bold leadership and letting go of our timidity, we can create a vision of our community where all are truly welcome here.

The saying goes that the arc of the moral universe is long, but that it bends towards justice. For far too long we’ve allowed it to bend the wrong direction and it’s time we do our part to bend it back. In doing so, we can make our community a little bit more transparent, a little bit more equitable, a little more just.

Thank you,

Response #10As a local resident for over 25 years, I have experienced a few interactions with local law enforcement with events ranging from having them come to my home when my 14 year old handicapped daughter died unexpectedly in her sleep to me getting pulled over for driving with a taillight out. Every interaction I’ve had with any law enforcement has been professional and cordial yet I know there is always room for improvement. The reform plan looks good with the only concern being that if it gets too complicated or difficult to follow that it will hinder people from wanting to be a part of law enforcement. We need our law enforcement and appreciate the extremely difficult work they do so we don’t want to drive people away from the good work that can be done there.

Response #11

November 19, 2020

Dear Members of the Police Reform Committee,

I want to thank you for all the work that you’ve begun with this initiative. I know that you went above and beyond the Governor’s challenge. This plan is a step in the right direction and I’m glad to be part of a community with this vision for the future.

I do have suggestions for revisions. To put these in context, I want you to know a little bit about me. My name is XXXXX XXXX. My wife and I have lived in Corning for 20 years. I am currently the Executive Director of XXXXX. I have been involved in several Stakeholder conversations, an LGBTQ listening session with the Reform Committee, an LGBTQ listening session with the Mayor, and multiple conversations with LGBTQ people and people of color who formed a loose coalition to identify responses to the plan. The coalition included people from Corning Incorporated, Corning Community College, arts and culture organizations in the city, and others. We believe that progress in the area of police relations with minority communities is imperative for the vitality of our region as we recover from the pandemic. Community policing focused on public service will make our city a friendly place for diverse tourists and residents, which in turn supports our economy with tourism dollars and the retention of valuable entrepreneurs and employees.

My primary critique of the plan is that it is vague, which can be misunderstood as being noncommittal. The plan would be improved dramatically by simply specifying aspects of the reform process. For instance, I applaud the formation of various committees to address areas of police reform and believe that is essential. However, the plan should state specifically who would be seated on the proposed committees. I would like to see a written commitment to minority community members drawn from organizations such as, but not limited to, the NAACP and Corning Pride. Furthermore, there are no benchmarks identifying specific goals for improvement with measurable outcomes. These might include such things as the percentage of minority police officers, the percentage of reviews for the use of force, the percentage of times force is avoided by de-escalation techniques. Measures of this nature are necessary to hold the police force and the city accountable to this plan and for the community to be able to gauge success or failure in the coming years. Of course, in order to have concrete and measurable goals, there must be baseline data indicating where we are now. While the survey presumably provided some baseline data, it is never mentioned in the plan.

To dig in deeper to this criticism, here is an example of the type of specificity I think the plan requires. As currently written, the document does not include clear mechanisms for transparency and accountability. Specifically, I would like to see a discipline review board with LGBTQ and BIPOC community involvement. I would also like to see the mechanism for filing a complaint spelled out clearly, such as how one files a complaint, who receives it, how much time does one have to file, and how long can one anticipate waiting for a response. The plan should specify the goals for improving this process and how would they differ from the current system.

My other profound concern is that the plan does not show how these reforms will be concretized and institutionalized so that they become a part of normal expectations. For instance, there is no mention of a specifically tasked officer who will act as a liaison with LGBTQ and BIPOC groups. Furthermore, police practices should be reviewed by an independent, community based committee on a regular,

perhaps annual basis. Training in de-escalation techniques and in dealing with mental health issues must be instituted not just for the police, but also for dispatchers and other first responders. There are many other concrete actions that can be adopted including body cameras, a follow up survey designed and implemented by professional social scientists, and concrete steps to deepen the relationship with professionals at CCC for training and recruiting practices. However, community based, voluntary committees are a great place to start because they are low cost and directly met the need for more community engagement with policing. What most concerns me is that the plan not be relegated to the dustbin after a year or two. In order to avoid that fate, the initiative must be intentionally built into the policing system.

Thank you for giving the community an opportunity to provide feedback on this report. If you’d like to ask me any questions about my feedback, please feel free to contact me. I’m happy to stay involved with this process as it unfolds. You can reach me at XXXX

With deep respect,

Response #12To Whom it May Concern,

First and foremost, I would like to say that I am impressed by the list of Team Members & Key Stakeholder Groups addressing the police reform initiatives in our area. In my opinion, it reflects in a comprehensive way the demographics of our area (i.e. race, religion, age and the various sectors of the community — business, religion, law enforcement, education and so on). Additionally, I appreciate the opportunity for the public to share comments on the City’s proposed plan.

Overall I am very pleased with the City of Corning’s plan and want to commend the team and our city leaders for their hard work and collaboration on this very important initiative. The plan appears to be meeting the states guidelines and I see that many action items have already been completed which is encouraging. Please keep up the good work!I do have one concern that the timeline for certain items is very aggressive. There are several items, specifically in the Training section that are indicated as “short” to be accomplished in a relatively short time which I see as items that should be ongoing. I’d recommend the team considers changing some of these “target timelines" to “long” or better yet “ongoing” as training is something that is always evolving and should never end. I would rather see a successful implementation that takes a little longer than a plan that fails because it was rushed. Again, overall I am very pleased with the components of this plan and look forward to seeing it approved.Sincerely,

Response #13Good morning,

I appreciate all of the work that has gone into this effort--so, thank you to those who have undertaken this complex project. Likewise, thank you for the opportunity to review the plan for police reform in our communities.As the leader of an arts organization that is a part of our regional tourism economy, I see these steps as important as everything we can do to align our community with the concepts of equity, transparency and diversity will ensure people considering visiting our region will be drawn to the openness, safety and community spirit those concepts communicate to the broader world. As a member of a cultural group that has historically been harassed and targeted by law enforcement, it's personally important to me our plan reflect a sincere desire to make our communities better and more welcoming and not one that simple checks the perceived boxes. I've spent time discussing the plan with a variety of community groups, so my feedback comes from those well-considered conversations and while I speak for myself, I do so from the context of those intersectional groups.1. The plan needs a larger goal or focus that all of the steps are working towards, e.g. "To ensure all the people of our communities..." or something to that effect. A mission or purpose statement. I would suggest looking at how strategic plans for nonprofits are constructed with goals, outcomes, actions plans and evaluation strategies to ensure an effective plan and process. 2. Many of the goals are vague and do not provide a specifics as to the outcomes, e.g. diversity the police force. That is something that should be ongoing, but how is progress measured? What are the specific goals?3. There is no action plan to show how these steps will be accomplished and measured. While that might be challenging to accomplish at this level, step one could state that an action plan for each of the items would be created. Likewise, it could also state that an annual review and update to the plan would be held. 4. A diverse and transparent discipline review board with members of the LGBTQIA and BIPOC communities needs to be a part of this plan. Likewise, the community needs to understand what happens when a complaint is filed as far as process, resolution and communication of those findings.5. Additionally, components that were missing include mental health responders (engaging social services or others in response to particular complaints rather than police officers); demilitarization of the police including non-physical de-escalation training; and an emphasis on the importance of body cameras regardless of the hurdle of expense.Thank you again for all of the work on this and for the opportunity to be a part of the process.Thank you,

Response #14Ladies and Gentlemen:

I have reviewed the City of Corning Draft Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative Plan dated November 5, 2020. I understand that the Corning Plan may be used as a model for other municipalities in Steuben County. I appreciate having had the opportunity to participate in a listening session with you on September 9, 2020. I offer the following comments (PDF attached) as a resident of Steuben County, a member of the Steuben County Green Party and a supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement:

The categories and reform items in the draft plan identify valuable concepts that are important to implement. To more fully implement the reform items more avenues for community involvement and decision-making need to be added to the plan.

The best way to increase community involvement and decision-making is to enact local laws establishing elected Citizen Police Control Boards. These boards should be established in the City of Corning, in other municipalities in Steuben County and in Steuben County itself.

The Steuben County Green Party is reviewing citizen control legislation enacted in other municipalities and counties and will be proposing model legislation to the City of Corning and Steuben County. This is a growing movement. A number of municipalities and counties voted for police and criminal justice reform in the recent elections, including citizen control boards. See “After a summer of protest, Americans voted for policing and criminal justice reform,” https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/criminal-justice-election/2020/11/13/20186380-25d6-11eb-8672-c281c7a2c96e_story.html .

I look forward to continuing to work with you on police reform efforts.

Respectfully yours,

Response #15To whom it may concern,

Clearly a lot of time and energy was spent in the creation of this draft plan with every imaginable category touched on. It is thorough with a wide range of changes that members of the public may appreciate.

That being said, the city is, by virtue of these changes, beginning a long uphill battle completing some of these tasks with current staffing levels being as they are. However, I know the time the Chief, Sheriff, City Manager and others have put into this process and I'm sure they will try their best to make it come to fruition.

I think what was brought to light in this process is that our community overall loves it's officers and their police department and although the need for this process is debatable, we hope it will increase community trust and acceptance.

Response #16Please find the attached document for your review and consideration:

I saw this asking for feedback on the Police Reform Initiative with collaboration for different community groups. I read the outline and I hope what I write can contribute to the desire for change.

I have grown up in the Corning area and have, over the years, had multiple interactions with all aspects of law enforcement whether Corning department, Painted Post, Sheriff or State Police. I did do the survey and from what I understand, it was overwhelmingly positive for our law enforcement in the area. I have to agree with the overall responses. In all aspects of humanity there is room for looking at things from a fresh or different perspective. Yes, we have had a few in our departments that are ones we are not the most proud of but I can say that in the workplace, the church and in community involvement too.

You see, heart is hard to change. It is often stubborn and obstinate. The driving forces behind it can be complicated and messy. As long as humans interact, these aspects will come to the surface, sometime with good intentions, and sometimes not so good. I don’t see any heart checks in some of the calls to defund, often those involved demand a service later that they supported cut. I see so much being ignored out there because of bias slants. I see individuals from a public platform with little to no experience working in a violent and dangerous atmosphere initiating training for those who are. I see a lot of training and initiatives for our officers in the line of duty and how to treat a suspect but not much for them after the instances, there was only one in the outline (#9) for them. Violent encounters, the viewing of domestic abuse, and the belittling of our officers that is now so prevalent takes a toll on an individual and their families. While our offices seem to be placed in a class of unaffected, that is not the case. They are. As stated earlier, the heart is impacted.

I am all about getting the best individuals in our units who care about community and want the see it changed for the better being involved and impacting lives for the best. I am not about ignoring groups who have been calling for violence to have a voice in those changes. I am not about ignoring the violence in communities that doesn’t fit a political narrative. Those people are affected, impacted and left the pass that damage on. If the pain inflicted is not dealt with then the pain will be projected.

Our men in women in law enforcement in this area do a great job being community advocates, showing up to functions, and having public interactions. These individuals often work daily with the worst of the worst. We need to remember that and remember they are human like you and I. Give them the same level of need as you purport upon those they serve. If we care, then they care. Thank you.

Response #17My comment on the draft report is that it is exactly what I predicted - long on self-congratulation and very short on actual reform. Completely unacceptable.

Response #18Feedback for Police Reform Plan 11/19/2020I could not remember blue box login.Equality and justice

1.Under implementation – publish recruiting on social media

Transparency and accountability6. Under Implementation - Identify and develop method of collecting and releasing data.8. Under description - Encourage official newspaper to publish police logs so the public is aware of daily police activities - ask WENY/WETM to publish on their website or city of Corning website.9. Under Description and Implementation - Work with countywide law enforcement agencies to establish a review process using trained stakeholders. Include civilian and law enforcement on review team.13. Under Description and Implementation - Assess the usefulness and cost of implementing a sustainable body camera program. Body camera has been proven by a lot of police department in use for safety of both officer and arrestee and in court. It is imperative that this become standard equipment.Community Relations3. Strengthen Community Relations – include civilians and law enforcement as part of community team to develop relationships.Overall, who will be responsible for tracking changes in reform, refresher in training and community relation. There is need to for admin, Human resource manager or volunteers to ensure that changes are implemented. These are big changes in police responsibilities.

Response #19Jeff,

I appreciate all of the work that has been done by the team to develop the Police Reform Plan. I think that it looks great.

Response #20Thank you for the opportunity to give my thoughts on the new police reform plan.

I have lived in the 1st ward for over 20 years and feel very safe. Corning’s police officers are highly professional in my opinion. I see them patrolling the neighborhoods, and they also have a good downtown presence which is important given our reliance on tourism.

1.There are many “Short Term” items on the list. For a small department this could be difficult to accomplish. Shifting some of these to medium term and maybe even long term might be more achievable.2.I like the idea of putting the police calls back in the newspaper. It lets the community know that our police department is always working to resolve issues/complaints.3.I like the idea of the “Citizens Police Academy”. I don’t know how many people would devote the time to do this, but it could create some good will and “ambassadors” for the police department in our community.

4.Body cams seem too expensive for a small city like ours with few problems. The big cities probably need these more. There are many other priorities listed in the reform document that this expenditure could be used for. Maybe this could be added to long term goals unless the officers think this is an important benefit to help them do their job.5.The “high risk incident training” looks important. I thought police officers would already have this, if they don’t, they should.6.“Expand customer service” sounds good, but there will always be people who criticize law enforcement. I am not worried as much about customer service when people are being arrested or ticketed, however I do think people should be treated fairly. I believe Corning’s officers already treat people fairly.7.The plan looks like the police need to do more with social workers. I think the city should be careful with this. I’m not sure of the details but police officers need to enforce the laws and social workers need to give counseling to people in a safe office or hospital setting.

I think everyone did a great job putting this plan together! I’m not an expert and I would leave it up to you if my suggestions work or not. I would also have no issue supporting the plan as is.

Thank you for your time

Response #21Good Afternoon – First, I want to start by saying thank you for asking me to be part of this work. When Jeff asked, I was a little hesitant only because I did not think I would be of value to you. But, the process revealed that we are all in this together. Our students and their relationships with law enforcement can and should be positive and respectful first and foremost. This plan allows for that growth to continue.

The plan is a heavy lift; however, I have no doubt that the current leadership at the city and county level will attain these goals.I also appreciate the fact that some of our goals overlap. As a school district, we are looking at our hiring practices and we are training all of our staff on implicit bias. This work takes time and a dedication to not allowing other priorities to overshadow the work. In the end, I am thankful for our police department and the relationships they continue to build with our students.We will be stronger as a community because of this work.

Response #22On behalf of the Corning XXXX, I want to applaud and thank Mark Ryckman, Mayor Boland, Dawn White and our local law enforcement agencies for compiling such a broad and comprehensive plan for police reform.  Per the Governor’s mandate, this plan was required to meet certain basic requirements; however, under Mark’s leadership, this mandate was seen as an

opportunity, which was seized, to develop a more thorough and beyond “the call of duty” look at proactive approaches to enhance what is already an excellent police force.  To utilize the opportunity for input from community stakeholders, the public and local law enforcement agencies allowed for an expansive look at an already good functioning system that now has the potential to become an excellent functioning system … a model for other communities to benchmark!I am proud to be not only a professional in the Corning community but also a resident … and I live, work and play much easier knowing we have the fortune of the City of Corning Police Force!Respectfully

Response #23As a former Police Commissioner, I know first hand the professionalism the Corning Police Department exhibits each day. The officers are well trained and professional . Over the past several years, their training requirements have increased significantly. The Police Commission worked with New York State on a study back in the late 1980’s or early 1900’s. That started a lot of the changes that the Police Department now benefits from.

One area that did concern me in the draft plan was #9 “Pursue a countywide Law Enforcement Case Review Process”. I think you would really have to provide a high level of training for anyone doing those reviews. It may be hard to find people with the time to invest in the training.

I did like #8 to reprint the police log in the newspaper. The Leader always had a good summary and it was a way to see what was going on in the neighborhoods.

You should always be congratulated on the new draft reform plan. It lists a lot of ways to improve training and transparency. These action items are on target and will continue to keep the Corning Police as a top agency.

Response #24E&SJ:

Develop recruitment presentation and provide to potential candidate pools . OK. I’d like to see that presentation when it’s done.

Partner with Corning Community College, etc. That’s already being done, no? Also, of the four training/degree venues, this old aging former CCC teacher places CCC after Alfred State and Elmira College in the quality and robustness of police education, but maybe ahead of the police academy. My reasons are too numerous to mention here.

Ensure marginalized populations are covered in expanded training opportunities PLEASE include the elderly as part of ‘marginalized populations! Too often, they are simply ‘low hanging fruit’.

Provide in-service training, etc . Include elderly as part of protected class.

T&A Establish an Office of Special Investigation Has the state formed this office yet? Provide the Public Access to Personnel Records of Police Officers Very Good! (Does this mean

I can immediately file 21 FOIL requests without police department approval?) Require Police Officers to Report the Discharge of Weapons OK. Is the written report available

to the public via FOIL Request? Requires courts to compile and publish data concerning arrests and court proceedings

involving low-level offenses such as violations and traffic offenses. PLEASE include ‘age’ after race, ethnicity and sex!

Allow the Recording of Law Enforcement Activity Good. Post data concerning use of force online . Good. Improve and publish/complaint processes and data online to increase transparency and

accountability when addressing and reporting police misconduct. Very Good. ‘Medium’ timeline somewhat troublesome.

Republish Police Log Good. If the Corning Leader still exists. Otherwise, Star-Gazette? Develop county-wide case review process to examine events from critical standards incidents

after the case has been adjudicated. OK, but examples might help clarify this. Post job descriptions and performance process online . OK. Try to avoid sweeping generalities

and confusing rhetoric. And please eliminate that ‘polite but firm’ condescending language. Post all academy and in-service training requirements and department’s compliance online .

Good. Public access --- and feedback/comments? Implement Advanced Data Tracking System OK. Will this be accessible to the publ;ic? Evaluate Potential Body CameraProgram ? Not sure what to make of this. Provide Public Access to NY Minimum Critical Standards Good.

CR1. Launch Citizens Police Academy Good! I might be able to help with this, since I’ve developed

many online courses in other areas. I have an MS in Educational Technology and I’m willing to use it for the public good, and hopefully shorten that “long’ timeline..

2. Raise Public Awareness about Police Services OK, I guess.3. Strengthen Community Relations Good, but how are the regional dialogue groups chosen?

Also, maybe add (D.), Implement Common Sense Policing’ – long overdue!4. Enhance Customer Service OK. Expand accessibility to the police station. It currently

resembles a foreboding and claustrophobic ‘man cave’, making a citizen wonder what secret and dire things are happening behind the dispatcher’s glass.

Training1. Establish and promote a set of departmental core values. OK, I guess.2. Expand Educational Incentives Good. Provide incentives to take courses in critical thinking!3. Expand De-escalation Training Great! Hurry up – long overdue. Include Common Sense

Policing and critical thinking here.

4. Provide officers additional options for less than lethal force weapons OK.5. Provide High Risk Incident Training OK6. Provide Mental Health Awareness Training OK.7. Provide Joint Training and Coordination between Law Enforcement and Social Workers Yes!

Include Adult Protective Services, because ‘mental health component’ isn’t the only component that addresses the vulnerable.

8. Promote Referrals to Alternative Services Good. Same answer as (7) above.9. Promote Employee Assistance Programs OK.

P & P1. Ban Chokeholds Goes without saying.2. Affirms an individual’s right to medical and mental health attention while under arrest or

otherwise in custody of a police officer or peace officer. What happens when a vulnerable, at-risk detainee is denied access to prescription medications by the police? What is the remedy?

3. Ensure Victim Sensitivity OK, as long as the proper identification of just who is the victim and who is the perpetrator is made. Too often, a clever and manipulative perpetrator can convince a police officer that he/she is the victim and not the perpetrator, thus weaponizing the police to intimidate the victim. Common Sense Policing can avoid this completely.

4. Identify deficiencies in current polices & procedures and make improvements to meet the State standards. OK - Will you be forthcoming about what the deficiencies were?

General Comments.What’s missing, and difficult to categorize:

1. The police should completely obliterate “Locker Room Talk”, i.e., a pervasive attitude about individuals or groups. For example, a complaint is made by a citizen and the reaction by police is “Oh, him! There’s a long history there, going back 20 years. Just ignore it, or quickly drive by and mark the complaint ‘No foundation, no offense found’. In truth, an investigation into some of these ‘long history’ anecdotes would sometimes reveal the opposite – but the ‘long history’ myth will remain and result in continued biased police response, devoid of every vestige of common sense.

2. Common Sense Policing (CSP) is completely missing in this first draft. The police must not only enforce the letter of the law, but even more so, embrace the spirit of the law. I can demonstrate this if any officer cares to listen.

3. Too much power rests in the hands of one or two people. This makes community influence and control difficult if not impossible. A citizens oversight board would correct this, and I would urge the legislature to debate and pass this long overdue reform.

4. Sheriff Allard has made himself accessible via email. Perhaps Chief Spaulding can do the same, if only to spare a concerned citizen the agony of a long trek to the pigeonhole entrance to the dispatcher’s dark and foreboding window.

5. The Corning City Code Enforcement is abysmal. The code itself is ambiguous and woefully outdated, and that makes the job of the police even harder. Mayor Boland is in charge of the code committee. They think the code is cutting-edge, but I beg to differ. I’m surprised the Corning code doesn’t address stagecoach stops and hitching rails…!

6. A question that could have been asked on the survey was this: “If you’re returning from Guthrie and driving over Centerway Bridge at 2AM and you see a police cruiser close behind you, do you feel safe because of police presence or are you apprehensive that the police might be looking to pull you over on suspicion of DUI?”. The response to a question like this might

provide valuable insight into whether police are widely viewed as peacekeepers, not opportunistic predators seeking an arrest.

7. The popular mantra “Defund the Police” is an unfortunate choice of words, and I oppose it. No thinking person wants to abolish the police, because there truly are “bad people out there”, and we need the police to root them out and neutralize the threat they pose. Police officers are, after all, our sons and daughters and brothers and sisters. We raised them and grew up with them, and they are human, no different than the rest of us. Only when they create an exclusive and insulated “Blue Club” do they present a problem to the people they purportedly serve, the people who employ them.

You know who I am, and you say that all of you are accessible. So am I.

Response #25Greetings,

I have read your draft of the 35 action items for the police reform initiative. Well done!, it’s good to see that some have already been implemented.I would like to express my concern about officers not driving with their headlights on. I travel over 20,000 miles per year and see many vehicles committing infractions on a daily basis. I have observed police vehicles, whether it be local police, county sheriff or state police, traveling during inclement weather without their headlights on. As you are well aware, it is a NYS law to have them on during rain, snow, etc.I have also observed said vehicles in the passing lane, driving at high speeds (probably responding to a call) without headlights on.I would like to see a concerted effort for all police vehicles to drive with their headlights on at all times (unless of course, you are involved with a special operation.) I would also like to see an emphasis on public awareness on this issue. I happened to be driving during our last rain storms. The first time from Big Flats to Corning; while on route 86, I observed at least 30 vehicles out of maybe 200, without headlights on. There are so many distractions now while people are behind the wheel that they forget the basic rules. I’ve noticed those nice LED signs on route 86, it would be a great place to alert people about driving with full headlights during inclement weather.People think that headlights are only for seeing but of course, they also allow people to see you.Officers are supposed to set examples for the rest of us; so if an Officer doesn’t follow the law, does that make it right for us not to? I think not.Respectively submitted,

Response #26The Steuben County XXXX reviewed the draft Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative Plan posted on the City of Corning website on Friday November 6th. The public has until November 20th to

comment. We applaud the wide outreach for comments from the public, and are grateful that we were able to participate in a listening session with Mayor Boland, Chief Spaulding, Manager Ryckman, Sheriff Allard, and Dawn White during which we outlined problems that we saw and offered some solutions.

We are disappointed that the draft plan does not address our suggestions for greater transparency and accountability, limiting the power of police unions and benevolent societies, renegotiating current contracts, revising training and hiring practices, increasing diversity in hiring, ending the arrest quota system, and reassessing arrest and interrogation processes.

We think the best way to accomplish these goals is for the City of Corning to enact legislation establishing a Citizens Review Board. We are reviewing legislation for community control of the police adopted in other cities and will be proposing model legislation to the City.

The references we will use are the Black Lives Matter handout on Democratic Community Control of Local, State, And Federal Law Enforcement Agencies (https://m4bl.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/CommControlofLawEnforcement-OnePager.pdf) and the article “Black Community Control Over Police” by M. Adams and Max Rameau (https://wlr.law.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1263/2016/06/4-Adams-Rameau-Final.pdf).

I take my desires for reality because I believe in the reality of my desires. - Situationist slogan and May 1968 graffiti

Response #27any police reform plan that doesn't include a citizen oversight board is inadequate! i don't live in corning, but visit there frequently.

Response #28Dear City of Corning Leadership:

I am very pleased with the level of detail and commitment that the City of Corning brings to the forefront of the development of the draft of the City of Corning Police Reform Plan process. The City of Corning leadership continues to demonstrate how much they welcome this initiative and continue to put action behind their words. They are dedicated to being a positive part of this community effort and about being a part of the solution as proactively as possible. The process continues to move this community in a positive direction and position Corning, NY as an important part of a model for benchmarking/best practices for other municipalities in the future.Thank you for your extraordinary work, it has been a pleasure to see it come together!

Response #29I noticed that the header to the Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative Plan on the City website includes the City of Corning (seal and name) but not the Steuben County Sheriff's Office. What happened? Is the sheriff not collaborating? If the sheriff's office is still part of the plan, will it be necessary for the Sheriff's Office final reform plan (which will be based on this report) be approved by the Steuben County Legislature before submission to the Gov?

Response #30I have reviewed the draft plan. I believe that any where that has the words "increase" or "enhance" should have baseline information so that the community has known if progress has been made.

Additionally under Promote Referrals to Alternative Services, I see that police will be trained on what services are available. I think a protocol should be established where review of sampling of cases would take place from a representative of these services to provide additional guidance and recommendations. There should also be a baseline for how many referrals are currently made to alternative services and how many are used. Is there someone from the police who could follow-up after a referral is made to see if it was pursued?Also, are there identified dates that a report would be made on the measurable progress towards these goals?

Response #31I read the Sunday paper (The Leader) I feel the police log should be in the paper so the community knows what is going on. Education is the best tool.

It’s great to see this reform plan come so far. I can’t think of anything to change. This is a far longer list of actions than anyone could have expected. The police in this area do a great job. This list of things will make them even better. Thank you!

Response #32I've read through your police plan and must say that I am impressed with the amount of work that you and your team put in with it. I don't have any changes to recommend. I am very proud that my city police care and are working hard for us.

Thank you,

Response #33Transparency & Accountability #5.

The statute seems to be ambiguous: The first sentence quoted states that a person “not under arrest or in the custody of a law enforcement official…” has the right to record (and keep the recording) of “police activity”. That wording suggests that a person under arrest does not have the right to

record. But the next quoted sentence states that a person “in custody or under arrest” does not, by that status alone, “forfeit such right to record”. To what “right to record” does this second sentence refer? Does the first sentence convey a right to record, or establish that the right exists if the person recording is “not under arrest or in custody”? Or does the “right to record…” exists independent of the new law? This statute could put a police officer in a difficult bind: If a person is under arrest and taken into custody, perhaps in handcuffs or in the back seat of a squad car, does he no longer have the "right to record…”, pursuant to the first sentence, or does he still have that right, pursuant to the second sentence? If the second sentence applies, and not the first, will the result be otherwise unnecessary confrontations between those arrested and the police? Is this the type of situation ripe for creating “you violated my rights” lawsuits? At the very least, the statute in its final form should clarify all ambiguities, or police and corrections officers may find themselves in difficult and unfair situations. Lastly, the recording seemingly authorized, at least to some degree, is of “police activity”. What activity? The arrest? Processing? Interrogation? Transportation? If two people are together, and one is arrested, does the second have the right to record all of the following “police activity? Again, unless clarified in its final form, this statute is fraught with problems; at the very least, it suffers from unartful draftsmanship.Transparency & Accountability #13. The concept of a “Body Camera Program” will probably generate support from the public and from the Governor’s office, especially considering the current concern for “police reforms”, but there could be problems in getting such a program established. The main difficulty will be the cost, and the likelihood that this could end up as an unfunded mandate. If a study concludes that body cameras should be required for all officers who might have contact with the public, I doubt the state would pick up the cost of enough such cameras. Furthermore, there may be a wide range of quality and effectiveness of such technology, affecting the cost of the program. I’m just concerned that municipalities might be faced with additional expenses that are unreimbursed to any meaningful degree.Training #2. As written, this applies to members of the Corning P. D.. Members of other, especially smaller, departments may not have the opportunities even to apply for this training. There was discussion about how this benefit could be expanded, but if the plan presented to the public doesn’t reflect that, there may be unnecessary confusion, if not objection. At the very least, this section should reflect that similar benefits for members of other police departments will be explored, perhaps indicating that cooperation with other departments, local educational institutions and state resources will be considered.

Response #34I personally believe that there are too many short term goals to be successful. Fear that with so many that some will be quickly done, perhaps without thought.

Response #35I want to applaud your efforts for this comprehensive plan. This must represent a lot of hard work. Thank you, during these troubled times, for doing what it takes to help forge a better path ahead.

My feedback is this:

1.This appears very thorough and comprehensive. Thanks for the awesome hard work here. 2.Continuous improvement – is it worth going into more detail about ways to keep improving? To incentivize, reward, and codify new ideas and developments to ensure continuous improvement? Perhaps an annual or biannual review to ensure these improvements keep their momentum and don’t just turn into another box to check? 3.“Measure it to manage it” – is there a way to ensure the training is working, and course correct when it is not? There is implicit bias training that measures one’s bias in milliseconds – could collecting and tracking those metrics be another method for continuous improvement?

a.(This could even be made into a fun competition to make it more sustainable – the department / jurisdiction / whatever that improves their metrics the most in a one year period gets a pizza party or something…)

4.I would like to share this with my Robotics teams for their feedback as well. Thank you again for your efforts. This world would be a better place if there were more people like you in it! Have a good day,