WHITE PLAINS POLICE REFORM COMMITTEE RELEASES DRAFT REPORT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT
White Plains, NY – February 24, 2021. In September 2020, White Plains Mayor Tom Roach today announced the formation of the City of White Plains Police Reform Committee in response to Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order 203, New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative. This committee was asked to review the needs of the White Plains community served by its police department, evaluate the department’s current policies and practices; involve the full White Plains community in the discussion; develop policy recommendations resulting from this review; offer a plan for public comment; and present that plan to the White Plains Common Council.
The Committee has now developed its Draft Report for public comment. The report can be accessed on the Police Reform Committee web page. Comments on the report will be taken through March 6th and can be submitted via email to policereform@whiteplainsny.gov or voice message at (914) 422-1313.
The foundation of the report lies in the ongoing implementation of three key principles: Procedural Justice, Sanctity of Life, and the Guardian mindset. These principles emphasize building trust between the police and the community, treating people with dignity and respect, and the duty to protect human life and physical safety. Together, they provide the basis for all the other recommendations. In addition to these three principles, the report contains specific recommendations in the areas of training and equipment, transparency and accountability, qualifications, recruitment and retention, community engagement, and policies and procedures.
Mayor Tom Roach said, “I would like to thank the Committee and its chair, Janice Griffith, for volunteering their time over the past 6 months on this important initiative. This committee of engaged community stakeholders has worked hard to come up with their recommendations. I urge the public to take this opportunity to review the draft report and provide comments.”
Janice Griffith, President of the White Plains / Greenburgh NAACP Branch said, “I would like to Thank Mayor Tom Roach for asking me to Chair this Police Reform Committee. It has been a great experience working with such a diverse group of community members. The dedication and commitment that was put into this work is commendable. I look forward to sharing with the community the results of our combined efforts.”
About the White Plains Police Reform Committee
The White Plains Police Reform Committee consists of 22 members and is chaired by Janice Griffith, President of the White Plains-Greenburgh Branch of the NAACP.
The Committee held three community listening sessions in October 2020, created a dedicated phone line and email address and utilized trusted community organizations to receive public input.
The City launched a dedicated webpage, www.cityofwhiteplains.com/policereform, which provides information about the Committee and the process, as well as links to meeting recordings, police department policies and procedures, and other relevant information.
The full Committee and its subcommittees have been meeting regularly since September. Both the full Committee and subcommittee meetings have been recorded and those recordings have been posted to the City’s YouTube account.