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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMayor Myrick's Plan for Excellent Policing outline 2014 -2015 Mayor Svante Myrick’s Plan for Excellence in Community Policing Cameras on Officers and in Cars The City will pursue the necessary funding to purchase and operate a body-worn camera on every officer and dashboard cameras in every car. Cameras have proven to reduce the use of police force and reduce the number of complaints against police officers. Body cameras have a civilizing effect. Recording each interaction will bring a greater level of accountability to our police-community interactions. Body cameras have an evidentiary benefit. They can decrease the amount of time our officers spend filling out paperwork and increase the amount of time they spend on the street. They also increase the odds that cases end in guilty pleas. I’ve asked Chief Barber to work with City Attorney Ari Lavine, HR Director Schelley Michell-Nunn, Alderperson Graham Kerslick, the Deputy Chiefs and others to create a policy that will govern the use and administration of the cameras. City Residency Requirement I believe that the time has come for the City to require its police officers to live in the City. Officers who live in the community that they serve will be uniquely invested in our community, better familiar with and to the citizens they have chosen to serve and protect, and best able to respond quickly in emergency situations. I will bring to the Common Council legislation that requires all new hires to establish their primary residence in the City within one year of hire of their hiring, and to live here as long as they serve in that role. Alderperson Stephen Smith has agreed to sponsor the legislation that will be introduced at the City Administration Committee. Community Action Team Chief John Barber has proposed the creation of a ‘Community Action Team’ (CAT). The CAT would be comprised of two officers working in tandem outside of the typical patrol rotation. These officers would not be assigned a beat or a fixed schedule and would be selected for their ability to execute a community policing model that emphasizes outreach. Their flexibility would allow them to be where they are needed most when they are needed most. If there is a rash of burglaries on the West End, they can supplement our patrols in that area. If there are out of control parties on East and South Hill when students return in the fall, they can supplement our patrols in that area. The CAT will allow our Department to be more agile and more proactive. I will seek every avenue to fund the CAT and put the team on the street in 2015. Downtown Outreach Social Worker For months the City of Ithaca has been studying an outreach model in Burlington, Vermont that has been successful. In the Burlington model a skilled social worker roams throughout their downtown and interfaces directly with the addicted, unemployed, homeless, and mentally ill. This outreach worker helps the disenfranchised access resources that can improve their quality of life. The outreach worker also reduces the recurrence of ‘frequent flyers’ to IPD, which will help the Department be more proactive in addressing other community concerns. I’ve asked Alderperson Seph Murtagh to continue working with Chief Barber, the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, and other City staff to create a model to be funded in 2015. Opening a District office on the West End A welcoming, physical location on the west end of the City will give the community better access to IPD and will allow IPD to immerse themselves even more fully into the life of the City. The ongoing Lehigh Valley House renovations will include a ground floor ‘District Office’, donated generously by Tim Ciasci. The District Office will open by January 1st, 2015. Full review of all policies and procedures leading to formal accreditation The Ithaca Police Department is currently reviewing all policies and procedures. The IPD has always aspired to the highest possible standard in policing. Formal accreditation will ensure that the rules on our books represent the best in the Country. Every officer will then be trained to that standard. Ten percent increase in police staffing Last week we swore in three new officers. By the end of this year we will hire three more, resulting in a 10 percent increase in the size of our department. Increased staffing will reduce stress on each officer. It will also better allow for the kind of intensive community outreach that is needed in the City of Ithaca. Improved Community Outreach programming On foot patrols, formal programming within schools, immersion in community events. These steps build trust between the community and the Ithaca Police Department. That trust is an invaluable tool. It can lead to more tips to IPD, which will result in more criminals being taken off the street. It also leads to less fear, less violence and less conflict between the Department and the Community at large. This formal community outreach has been stifled in recent years due to budgetary cutbacks. But the addition of a CAT, a ten percent increase in the size of the department, body cameras which reduce the amount of time spent doing paperwork, the opening of a district office on the west end, and the creation of a downtown outreach social worker will all increase police capacity to do community outreach. Chief Barber has agreed to design and implement a formal community outreach plan that will be rolled out as soon as possible.