Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order last week requiring local governments to develop plans to modernize police strategies by April 1. Cuomo said Sunday it's an opportunity to reimagine how community policing works.
"Not abstract, not conceptual, write it down on a piece of paper," Cuomo said. "Come to a table, the mayor, the council, the activists, the protesters, the public safety experts, the police department, and redesign it so the relationship is one of trust and respect. The police are a function of what the community wants. We've heard loud and clear the community wants a different type of police force. Great! Now, do it."
Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh says the city is ready for the challenge, and will meet the state's deadline.
"Going back to my college days, deadlines always help," Walsh said. "So I’ll gladly accept that. But we’re also not going to wait until April 2021 to make changes. We’re going to make them as quickly as we can."
Walsh said there are municipalities that may have difficulty meeting the April 1 deadline, but Syracuse won't be one of them.
"All of this we are very comfortable with but I’m sure there are agencies that won’t be. So without having read specific language, I can’t say exactly where we are. But we all have from now until April 1st 2021 to engage in that process and I don’t anticipate any issues."
Walsh says a working group has already started to determine what the next steps in police reform look like. He said the state is aware Syracuse has already taken some steps, including establishing a new use of force policy. The city also has been blocked in the courts on another initiative to add transparency to police discipline. Walsh says the city is appealing that court ruling.
Cuomo said if municipalities don’t meet the deadline, they risk losing state funding.
