Hyde Park Police Reform Plan Approved 3.31.21
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1 Executive Order #203 Police Reform Town of Hyde Park Police Plan Outline 1. Introduction – page 4 2. Town of Hyde Park Police - Mission Statement ! Our Public Commitment – page 5 3. Town of Hyde Park Police – Agency Overview ! Legitimacy – page 6 4. Town of Hyde Park Police – Calls for Service ! Breakdown of Calls for Service 2019 – page 7 ! Demographics – pages 8-10 ! Recommendations from Survey, and Stakeholders – page 11 5. Town of Hyde Park Police – Policy Manual – page 12 ! Use of Force Policy – page 13 ! Use of Force 2019 – page 14 ! Use of Force Call Types – page 14 ! Hate Crimes – Page 15 ! Standards of Conduct – page 15 ! Department Use of Social Media – page 15 ! Off Duty Law Enforcement Actions – page 15 ! Biased-Based Policing – page 16 ! Personnel Complaints – page 16 ! Recruiting and Selection – pages 17-18 6. Town of Hyde Park Police – Training ! Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) – page 19 ! De-Escalation Training – page 20 ! Procedural Justice Training – page 20 ! Implicit Bias Training – page 21 2 ! Autism Awareness – page 21 7. Town of Hyde park Police – Body Worn Cameras ! Body Worn Cameras – page 22 8. Civilian Review Board 9. Town of Hyde Park Police – Community Outreach ! Coffee with a Cop – page 23 ! School Resource Officer (SRO) – page 23-24 ! Child Passenger Safety Seat Program (CPS) – page 24 ! Active Shooter for Civilians – page 24 ! Beat Patrols – page 24 ! Domestic Abuse Response Team Project (DART) – page 25 ! Medication Drop Box – page 25 ! Juvenile Fire Starter Intervention Response Program (J-Fire) – page 25 ! Shop with a Cop – page 26 ! Hope not Handcuffs – page 26 ! Community Presentations – page 26 10. Town of Hyde Park Police – Officer Wellness ! Officer Wellness – page 27 11. Town of Hyde Park Police – Problem Oriented Policing ! Hot Spot Policing – page 28 ! Scanning, Analysis, Response, and Assessment Model (SARA) – page 29 12. Town of Hyde Park Police – Accreditation ! Accreditation – page 30 13. Town of Hyde Park Police – Conclusion ! Summary of Police Reform Plan – page 31-33 ! Conclusion – page 33 ! Executive Order No.203 – page 34-36 3 ! References – page 37 On June 12, 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law Executive Order 203. The order required local government in the State to adopt a policing reform plan by April 1, 2021. The purpose of the New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative is to foster trust, fairness and legitimacy within communities throughout our State and to address any racial bias and disproportionate policing of communities of color. The United States Department of Justice has emphasized the need for “trust between citizens and their peace officers so that all components of a community are treating one another fairly and justly and are invested in maintaining public safety in an atmosphere of mutual respect.”1 We are extremely proud of our Police Department and have performed a comprehensive review of current police force deployment, strategies, policies, procedures and practices. We are submitting this plan outlining the initiatives we are taking to improve our operations. We have conferred with community members, stakeholders, nonprofits, faith-based groups, the district attorney, the public defender, elected officials, and worked with the Dutchess County Police Reform and Modernization Collaborative. The Town of Hyde Park and Town of Hyde Park Police Department assembled a Police Modernization Committee. The committee consisted of members of the Town of Hyde Park Town Board, Chief of Police and Lieutenant of the Hyde Park Police Department, Dutchess County Public Defender, Dutchess County District Attorney, Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce, Faith Leader, Hyde Park Rotary Club, Hyde Park Central School District, Community Activist from the John Flowers Community. The Committee received input from members of the multicultural club at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School. A public comment session was held via zoom on January 19, 2021. The Committee sponsored a Hyde Park Police Reform Survey which was sent out via social media and posted on the Town of Hyde Park’s website. Throughout this process, we have sought to promote community engagement, foster and build trust, fairness and legitimacy and to address any racial bias and disproportionate policing in the Town of Hyde Park Police Department. This plan includes a comprehensive review of current police force deployments, strategies, policies, procedures, and practices for the purposes of addressing the particular needs of the communities being served. We will outline the plan that was formulated from the collaborative efforts of the Hyde Park Police Modernization Committee, the results of the public survey and the Dutchess County Police Reform & Modernization Collaborative, including a chart outlining the timeframe for all the recommended changes. This was a plan developed from the collaborative effort and input from the community that the Police Department serves. 4 MISSION STATEMENT: We, the members of the Town of Hyde Park Police Department, are committed to providing ethical, quality and responsive service to the community with pride and professionalism. We are committed to improving the quality of life for those we serve by delivering the highest standard of police services. We envision a future where law-abiding citizens feel safe and take pride and comfort in the quality of life in our community; a future where disorder and criminal activity continues to be vigorously and intelligently pursued. We envision our department as a superior service-oriented organization that incorporates innovative strategies, contemporary technologies, proven community policing philosophies, positive leadership, and efficient and effective use of resources into all organizational decisions. 5 Town of Hyde Park Police Overview: The Town of Hyde Park Police Department provides full-time police coverage to the residents of the Town of Hyde Park. Hyde Park’s police officers are part of our community. Many of the officers are our neighbors; their children are in classrooms beside your own. Their families work in local businesses. They coach teams, volunteer as firefighters and so much more. As of the 2018 United States Census Bureau, the Town had a total population of 20,847 Incident data can be used to get a general picture of the types of incidents that occur in Hyde Park and their general frequency relative to one another, but they are not of sufficient quality to enable detailed analyses, even across years. This is because the data were never used by the State, Police Dept, or public, so they were not rigorously managed for consistency. Problems with the data include the variations in classifications by Police Assistants. With so many categories, different Police Assistants likely classified the same call types into different categories. For example, one Dispatcher might classify a call as “Check for a Possible Intoxicated Driver” while another classified it as “Check for an Erratic Vehicle.” This subjective variation likely occurred between calls by the same Dispatcher as well. Incidents were not consistently reclassified when the initial information received by the Dispatcher at the time of each call turned out to be different from the actual incident Officers found at the scene. In 2019 the Town of Hyde Park Police Department handled 11,704 Incidents, made 280 arrests, handled 179 cases, made 2,049 traffic stops, wrote 1,145 tickets and handled 412 traffic accidents. Police Officers responded to roughly 9,000 incidents in 2019, and that roughly 7,000 of these were likely to involve direct interactions with community members. Unfortunately, the data is not rigorous enough to answer more detailed questions. 6 The above pie chart shows the statistics for the Town of Hyde Park Police Department for 2019 DWI Arrests 26 Larcenies 172 Alarms 500 Medical Emergency 440 Bulgaries 31 Noise Complaints 167 Disturbances 153 OP Violations 93 Domestic Disputes 205 Robberies 4 Emotionally Disturbed Persons 182 Security Checks 1433 Harassment 173 Suspicious Activity/Persons 579 Juvenile Complaints 67 (Arrests 13) Welfare Checks 509 7 As of the 2018 United States Census Bureau, the Town had a total population of 20,847. The demographics data available are as follows: There were 7,519 housing units with an average 2.51 persons per household. The racial makeup of the town was 84.5% White, 5.9% Black or African American; Hispanic or Latino of any race comprised 8.5% of the population. The median income for a household in the town was $74,900, and the percentage of persons in poverty 11.1%. Law enforcement in the town is primarily provided by the Town of Hyde Park Police Department. Hyde Park Police are primarily supplemented by the New York State Police Troop K and the Dutchess County Sheriff's Department. The staff consists of 16 full-time Police Officers, 11 part-time Police Officers, 4 full-time Police Assistants (Dispatchers) and 7 part-time Police Assistants (Dispatchers). The demographic make-up of the Police Officers is 88.88% white, 3.7% black, 7.41% Hispanic, 92.59 % male, and 7.41% female. The above graph compares the Demographic of the Town of Hyde Park and the Town of Hyde Park Police Department.4 https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/hydeparktowndutchesscountynewyork 8 The above graph indicates the population of municipalities with police departments in Dutchess County (2018 Census). The above graph indicates the number of full-time police officers of municipalities with police departments in Dutchess County. 9 The above graph indicates the number of calls of comparable jurisdictions in Dutchess County. 10 Recommendations from Survey, and Stakeholders: The Town of Hyde Park participated in a collaborative with Dutchess County and other partnering police agencies within Dutchess County. The Collaborative process was focused on engaging the public and seeking their input. The Dutchess County Commission on Human Rights hosted seven public forums on Zoom. Six of the meetings gave preference to speakers from a different set of municipalities and one Spanish language forum was held, ensuring that voices throughout Dutchess County were heard.