Police Reform Initiative - Town of Tonawanda

2021 POLICE REFORM AND REINVENTION COLLABORATIVE PLAN

NAME	COMMITTEE ROLE	OTHER INFO
Supv. Joseph Emminger	Town of Tonawanda Rep
Councilwoman Shannon Patch	Town of Tonawanda Rep
Chief James Stauffiger	Police	Collaborative Supervisor
Lt. Christine Milosich	Police	TTPD Community Service Liasion
Lt. Corey Flatau	Police	Training Coordinator
Det. Lt. William Krier	Police
Det. Darren Hearitt	Police
Tiffany Hamilton	Community Rep	Chief Diversity Officer, Daemen College
Kenneth Walker	Community Rep	President River Road Vol. Fire Co.
James Chatham	Community Rep	Sheridan Park Vol. Fire Co.
Kenny Martin	Community Rep	Franklin
Dr. Jill O'Malley	Non-Profit Rep/Facilitator
Rev. James Rozier	Faith-Based Rep
Danielle D'Abate	District Attorney Rep	Chief of Community Prosecution
Jeanne Stewart	Clerk	Assistant to the Supervisor
TBD	Local Public Defender Rep

Background:

On June 12, 2020, Governor Cuomo issued an Executive Order called the NEW YORK STATE POLICE REFORM AND REINVENTION COLLABORATIVE (EO 203: https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/no-203-new-york-state-police-reform-and-reinvention-collaborative). This mandate calls for the formation of a local committee to work with their police agencies to update policing policies and practices with stakeholder input. In July 2020, Dr. Jill O’Malley was appointed by the Town as Facilitator of this project and the main committee called the Tonawanda Reform and Reinvention Collaborative was formed over the month of August. Because of COVID, meetings are limited at this time to committee members, however, all Committee materials (including meeting minutes, PowerPoints, project summary and supporting documents) are available for the public and can be found here: https://bit.ly/TonawandaRRC.

Mission:

The mission of the Tonawanda Reform and Reinvention Collaborative is to proactively evaluate, modify and modernize Town of Tonawanda policing strategies, policies, procedures and practices to better address the needs of the Town of Tonawanda with a focus on communities of color to promote public safety, improve community engagement, and foster trust. (EO No. 203 ¶11)

Vision:

Tonawanda Reform and Reinvention Collaborative will work together to create and recommend a plan which address the needs of the community of the Town of Tonawanda served by police and use this plan to promote community engagement to foster trust, fairness, and legitimacy, and to address any racial bias and disproportionate policing of communities of color. (EO No. 203 ¶16). The plan will be constructed upon the pillars of Procedural Justice from U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services:

fairness in the processes
opportunities for voice
transparency in actions
impartiality in decision making

TRRC

Goals:

Perform a comprehensive review of current police force deployments, strategies, policies, procedures and practices. (EO No. 203 ¶16)

Develop a plan to improve such deployments, strategies, policies, procedures, and practices. (EO No. 203 ¶16)

Committee Composition: (EO No. 203 ¶18)

Police Leadership
Members of the community (EO indicates with emphasis in areas with high numbers of police and community interactions)
Non-Profit representative
Faith-Based representative
District Attorney rep
Local Public Defender Rep
Local Elected Officials

Proposed Timeline:

September – October 2020: “Listening and Learning”
- Listening sessions: organized through Park Talks and subcommittees
- Engage experts: background information on Town, Police Training and Policy already in place
- Request comments and information: public comment can be submitted to the Supervisors office. Also public and internal police surveys will be conducted.
November – December 2020: Draft Plan
- Identify Areas of Focus
- Identify Measurable Goals
- Draft a reform and reinvention plan
- Keep public engaged
January – March 2021: Public comment and ratification
- Presentation of plan to the public with opportunity for public input (EO No. 203 ¶19)
- Educate the public
- Revise the plan to incorporate public comment
- Committee makes final plan revisions and submits to Town Board for Review
March 2021: Certification that plan has been developed in accordance with EO 203 is sent to the Director of the Division of Budget

Important Contacts

Collaborative Supervisor
Town of Tonawanda Chief of Police James Stauffiger
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Municipal Administrator
Town of Tonawanda Supervisor Joseph Emminger
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Comments or Questions:
Dr. Jill O'Malley, Facilitator
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