Police officers to hand out business cards
Anyone interacting with a town police officer in New Paltz should be walking away with at least a business card. That was a suggestion in the police reform report that was quickly implemented, according to Chief Robert Lucchesi. The goal is to make sure the officer’s name and contact information are available after the fact. If the interaction resulted in a ticket, that’s got details about the officer right on it — therefore, no need for a business card. Someone who is let off with a warning, though, or perhaps even has an informal conversation with an officer on duty, is going to be handed a business card.
Officers also aren’t asking that classic question, “Do you know why I stopped you today?” Instead, the goal is to calm the situation and allay concerns by offering that information as soon as possible.
Matrix, revisited
New Paltz Police Chief Robert Lucchesi wasn’t fond of the idea of a “discipline matrix” for laying out consequences for rules violations by town police officers. Members of the town’s Police Reform Committee asked for such a matrix, specifically focusing on the use of cameras and the use of force, but the chief was “a little hesitant.” The chief’s primary concern was that such a matrix wouldn’t allow for latitude based on the particular circumstances. After gathering more information, as well as feedback from other police chiefs, Lucchesi has come around to the idea. It “provides a measure of certainty for the officers, as well as members of the public,” Lucchesi said at the August 19 Police Commission meeting. A draft matrix is being finalized and must be reviewed by union leaders and several attorneys before it can be agreed upon.
Civilian police academy may be postponed
The one person signed up for the first civilian police academy in New Paltz may have to wait a few months to take the eight-week course. Chief Robert Lucchesi has lined up a number of expert speakers, including the county’s sheriff and district attorney, and wants at least ten participants to make a go of it. The three-hour sessions will each be devoted to specific areas of law enforcement and are intended to “educate, not indoctrinate,” according to the chief. Police commissioners agreed with Lucchesi that there’s no shortage of interest in police activity in New Paltz — putting together this academy was a recommendation that came out of the Reform and Reinvention Collaborative — but factors such as the pandemic may be dampening enthusiasm for gathering even in smaller numbers.
One suggestion was to modify the content into a series of videos that could be posted online and aired over the public access channel. The town’s Public Access Committee might be able to help that come to pass. If nine more people apply by September 1, the program will be run as designed, but that doesn’t preclude creating a video series, as well.
The virtual option
New Paltz Town Board members are watching the coronavirus cases climb, and it’s beginning to look a lot like meeting from home would be a good idea again very soon. However, that’s not as easy as it was in March of 2020. At that time the governor, flush with emergency powers granted by legislators, suspended portions of the open meetings law to allow the conduct of official business to continue. Those emergency powers have been rescinded, and with a new governor stepping into office there may not be another legislative action quite as quickly. Under the law as written, if a voting member of a board will attend virtually, then the meeting notice must include that address, because it’s a legitimate place for a member of the public to attend that meeting. “Not everyone is comfortable with that,” said Town Supervisor Neil Bettez.
Deputy Supervisor Dan Torres observed that the number of cases has risen to 500 from just 12 on July 4. “The last time we were this bad, we were not meeting in person,” he said. Torres prefers sitting around a table because it makes collaboration come more easily, but predicted that this meeting on August 19 may be the last in person for a period of time. On the other hand, Julie Seyfert-Lillis pointed out that despite the technology obtained to make hybrid meetings easier, the audio of what’s going on in the community center itself is always harder to follow than that of others logged in online. That’s due to a combination of the ability of speakers to project, and an occasionally spotty wireless signal.
Torres also said that the address requirement makes “zero sense” at this moment in time, but explained that it’s unlikely to be enforced. “I would not allow a member of the public in,” Torres said. “If anyone wants to file an article 78 [proceeding] for not being allowed in my living room, then go ahead.” A judge reviewing the ways that members of the public were given to access the meeting, and considering the context of the pandemic, would be unlikely to find in favor of the petitioner, Torres believes.
If town officials were to buck state law in this way, Bettez said it’s important to consider making someplace available for people without internet access to tune in. That’s a population who have not been served by entirely virtual meetings, but overall engagement online is higher than it often has been in person.
Council members agreed to allow themselves and the voting members of volunteer boards and commissions to attend virtually without providing an address. A presence at the community center will be maintained “as long as one person feels comfortable sitting here,” Bettez said, “but anyone who wishes to” can log in virtually instead. Within a couple of months, it’s expected that state rules will better align with this new direction.
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