Public Raises Issues With Westchester Policing at Task Force Forum

A task force reviewing Westchester County’s police policies and procedures last week heard residents call for more effective officer training, the need for respectful interaction with civilians and a greater financial commitment for youth and social services.

In the first public forum held by the Westchester County Police Reform and Reinvention Task Force, some of the more than two dozen speakers during the two-hour virtual event also called for communities to seek greater diversity in law enforcement.

Erica Itzkowitz, a member of the Westchester County Anti-Racist Alliance, said officers too often assume the worst about the people they are hired and sworn to protect.

“They should be compassionate in their actions and they should be guardians,” Itzkowitz said. “That’s going to be a huge change for Westchester County and for this community, but it needs to be done because the police in my community in New Rochelle, and I work in the community, the children and the families of Black (children) and families of color are fearful of the police.”

The task force, comprised of a wide cross-section of community members and law enforcement throughout Westchester, will make recommendations to the Board of Legislators by the end of this year. It was formed in June as part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s directive for all governments in the state that operate a police force to review their operations with the community.

Mount Pleasant resident Kelsey Padgett was one of a few speakers who said the police are responsible for tasks that should not be part of their job. Their responsibilities are to prevent and solve crimes and protect the public, not answer calls such as assisting those with mental illness, which should be handled by EMS.

Policymakers instead need to focus on more robust social services, which would help communities in need, she said. Police forces should also more closely resemble the people they serve

“Westchester should take funds from policing and put it toward social services not because you don’t support the police but because you do,” Padgett said. “If you want to have police that people can trust and feel comfortable calling in an emergency no matter the color of their skin, you have to set up the police to succeed.”

Jamaal Gill of New Rochelle said in his community 19 percent of the city’s budget goes toward policing but only 0.5 percent is spent on youth services.

“If we want to improve the community, we need to start allocating some more of that money that build them up, gives them some opportunity and things to do,” Gill said.

Rita Walton said over the years her interactions, whether it be for a speeding tickets or turning in a lost wallet, have sometimes been met with disrespect and contempt even as a white woman. Training must improve to have interactions.

“We don’t need warriors who view civilians as the enemy,” Walton said. “We need warriors for justice, warriors for peace, warriors for compassionate action.”

There were a couple of comments that were complimentary of local and county police. A caller who only identified himself as Alex, a Mount Kisco resident, said he is comforted when he sees a patrol car.

In recent years, the county police have also done a good job in reaching out and being involved in his community, he said.

“There are things that go on in the street in the darkness and you see a car drive by and it’s a little bit of a relief,” Alex said. “I think some people do get that. At the end of the day they’re there to help people.”

Keith Olson, a 31-year Yonkers police officer and president of the Yonkers PBA, said he agreed with some of the comments made by the callers. Police unions are supporters of tougher standards to become an officer and improved training, he said.

“We’re huge proponents of state guidelines for coming on the job to become a police officer,” Olson said. “Nobody wants better cops than police union leaders. Bad cops become our headaches first. We are very much behind that and we’ve heard quite a few things that people have been speaking about. There is also a lot of misinformation about what police do and how we do it, so as we move forward in these decisions, I’m asking everybody to listen to all sides.”

Task force co-chair Mayo Bartlett said the review will look at best police practices across the state, the nation and even internationally to ensure that Westchester has top-notch law enforcement.

“So we have an opportunity right now to look at how we police, look at how we can improve that model and look how we can bridge that gap between law enforcement and the community,” Bartlett said.

The forums continue Tuesday night with in-person attendance at five locations throughout the county, including at the Westchester Board of Elections in White Plains, the Field Library in Peekskill and the Mount Kisco Public Library from 6 to 8 p.m. The forums will also be live-streamed.

To attend in person, register at PoliceReformTF@Westchestergov.com or call 914-995-2921. To ask a question in the virtual forum, call 1-844-621-3956 (access code is 171 747 7718). To view the virtual forum, register at https://bit.ly/30RE54V.