Cortlandt Seeks Volunteers For Police Reform Task Force

CORTLANDT, NY — Cortlandt doesn't have a police department, but town officials are still putting together a police reform task force to respond to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's call to communities to to review and reform police practices.

Town officials seek members from the community to provide feedback and gather public input, to assist Westchester County and New York State in reinventing themselves when it comes to use of force, community policing and more.

Cortlandt got rid of its police department, whose members had been suing and counter-suing each other, in the 1990s. The move saved taxpayers millions of dollars, Supervisor Linda Puglisi pointed out.

Now town officials want the county and state, who provide Cortlandt's policing functions, to take Cortlandt's feedback into account when they develop their plans.

"The County and New York State Police Departments that cover the Town of Cortlandt work very well with our government and with our community," she said in the announcement. "I have been fortunate to know many of the police officers over the years and they have always been responsive when I have needed them to address any issues."

The task force is a response to Executive Order 203, which required that municipalities with a police force must develop a plan that reinvents and modernizes police strategies and programs. Such municipalities are required to adopt a plan by April 1, 2021.

It came following the death of George Floyd, who died after a Minneapolis police officer held his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly 9 minutes..

In its wake, communities across New York State have begun the process of reevaluating police and law enforcement issues as many are demanding change and accountability. Westchester County Executive George Latimer established a working group of various stakeholders to review procedures and policies for the county police.

Cuomo said there is no one-size-fits-all approach. "To rebuild the police-community relationship, each local government must convene stakeholders for a fact-based and honest dialogue about the public safety needs of their community," Cuomo said. "Each community must envision for itself the appropriate role of the police."

Puglisi said she began work this summer to honor the spirit of Executive Order 203 by preparing her own comments as a draft report on policing issues as a starting point for the community to review and discuss.

Also, Town Councilman James Creighton has been meeting with County Legislator Colin Smith (a member of the county’s 35-member working group, known as the Westchester County Police Reform and Reimagining Task Force) and has been attending their meetings.

He will chair Cortlandt's task force.

"The police who serve our community do an amazing job, and we salute every one of the many men and women who put on a uniform each day to protect us and perform the highest level of services," Creighton said. "We also want to make sure that every member of our community knows that we care about them and that our police must have all the supports in place to ensure that racism or any bias behavior is eliminated from interactions with our community and service members while they are on duty."

They're seeking task force members including members and leadership of local police forces, members of the community, interested non-profit and faith-based community groups, advocates for racial justice, district attorney's office, local public defender and local elected officials, experts in mental health, drug abuse, youth development and other community concerns.

Residents who are interested in serving on Cortlandt's Police Task Force or giving a presentation or contributing in another manner are asked to submit a letter stating their background and interests. Candidates should review information about the Governor's emergency order.

All submissions for consideration as a member of the Task Force should be made to Claudia Vahey, Human Resources Department Head at claudiav@townofcortlandt.com by 5 p.m. Tuesday. The Task Force intends to begin meeting in November.

More public participation will take place once the task force has established a calendar of public meetings in November and December. All relevant meeting and project information will be posted on the Town of Cortlandt's website.

SEE ALSO: Cuomo Ordering Police Departments To Implement Reforms