Police Reform collaborative

The Columbia County Police Reform Panel was formed in October 2020 in response to New York State Executive Order No. 203, New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative. 

The order mandates that local governments perform a comprehensive review of current police force deployment strategies, policies, procedures and practices, develop an improvement plan to address the particular needs of the communities served, and promote community engagement to foster trust, fairness and legitimacy and to address any racial bias and disproportionate policing of communities of color.  

You can read the full executive order HERE.

The process will include the Columbia County Sheriff’s Department and the police departments in Greenport, Stockport and the Village of Philmont. 

There will be five phases: including Community Input, Enforcement/Elected Officials Panel, Plan Review Committee, Public Hearing on Plan, and Final Approval by the Board of Supervisors. 

To accomplish this the following three committees will be formed: 

a) Community Input Panel who will provide public input

b) Law Enforcement/Elected Officials Panel who will meet on Dec 2 and 3 to draft the plan 

c) The Plan Review Committee to review the plan and create the final draft.

The first phase of this process is the Community Input Panel made up of 31 Columbia County residents who will work with facilitator Newell Eaton to gather community input. The co-chairs are Mike Benvenuto (Ghent Supervisor) and Bill Hughes (CCDC rep to State Committee).

Questions can be submitted in advance to: PRPanel@columbiacountyny.com

There will be three meetings during which a different group of 10 members of the panel will speak for five minutes each. Meetings are live-streamed on You Tube. 

The first meeting occurred on October 20 and can be viewed HERE.

Other meetings can be viewed live at 6 p.m. using the following links:

o Thursday 11/5 at: https://youtu.be/KiiNbzjfn_M

o Friday 11/13 at: https://youtu.be/gWpBj9qN9f8

For more information go HERE.
Comments and Concerns about the process can also be sent to issues@columbiademocrats.net

 In addition, the Village of Chatham’s Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative has begun the review of its Police Department. A working group of six residents and

two police officers will develop a plan based on input from six focus groups that will present their public safety needs. The categories are: Youth, Seniors, African-American, Latinx, LGBTQ+, Mental Health, Substance Addiction and Misuse, and Local Businesses.