Monroe. Village issues draft recommendations for police reforms

The Village of Monroe has issued draft recommendations for the state-mandated “reinvention” of its police department.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has directed all 500 communities in the state with police departments, including 32 in Orange County, to prepare such reform plans or face loss of state aid.

Monroe’s department is one of about one-third in the state that has been accredited, a formal recognition that it meets or exceeds professional policing standards.

Mayor Neil Dwyer, in a letter accompanying the village’s plan, writes that “while our Police Department is dedicated to doing the work they are tasked work every day, it is important in these trying times to reflect on how we currently accomplish this and in what ways we can do it better, while serving to ensure a safe and progressive future for all members of our community.”

Dwyer says he organized a committee comprised of village government officials, police personnel, faith-based and community leaders of diverse ethnic, religious and socio-economic backgrounds to conduct a comprehensive review of police department policies and procedures.

The committee’s 38 recommendations are organized in several categories: equality and social justice, transparency and accountability, community relations, training, and policies and procedures. Each is assigned a time for implementation.

Detailed information about the reform process is available on the police department’s website. The draft report can be reached at http://www.monroepd.org/Portals/1/Monroe%20PRRC%20Draft%20Plan_1.pdf

- Jeff Storey