Islanders are being requested to guage the Shelter Island Police Division and provides suggestions to enhance service.
An internet survey, in English and Spanish, is now open and residents are requested to take part in upcoming “listening classes” with a city committee known as the Shelter Island Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative.
These steps have to be adopted and a brand new plan for policing introduced to the state by April 1, by order of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, to be eligible for future state funding.
The net survey, which might be discovered in town’s web site — shelterislandtown.us/, click on on Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative Survey — consists of 15 questions, starting from whether or not Islanders really feel secure of their neighborhoods or whereas driving, purchasing and dealing, to whether or not they have faith within the Police Division and to guage current encounters with law enforcement officials.
Exhausting copies of the survey, additionally in English and Spanish, might be obtained at City Corridor and the Library.
The survey shouldn’t be confused with criticism kinds filed by those that have points with the dealing with of a specific case, which must be filed with the Shelter Island Police Division or with Supervisor Gerry Siller to allow them to be investigated. Mr. Siller and his colleagues on the City Board are the Island’s police commissioners.
Representatives from demographic teams — akin to highschool college students or Latino residents — and from establishments inside the group, labeled as “stakeholders,” might be given an opportunity to specific opinions and proposals at upcoming digital conferences with the committee. After that, there might be a digital public discussion board the place any resident might be heard.
When the police reform committee was being arrange, Police Chief Jim Learn stated his division would do an entire assessment of its insurance policies.
“The SIPD embraces alternative for progress and we observe a philosophy of constant enchancment on daily basis,” he stated, promising extra info as efforts to deal with points may come up.
He’s additionally famous that the division has averaged one criticism each different yr for the previous 10 years. The complaints have typically been from folks about their remedy by police whereas being searched; police efforts to limit entry to sure locations; a police officer accused of harassing somebody whereas the officer was off responsibility; or related points that needed to be investigated.
The division launched two investigations primarily based on issues that arose throughout common police work. One was in relation to a cost that an officer did not safe a police automobile and the opposite concerned an officer who was thought to have did not take motion when it was applicable. Citizen complaints typically have come from folks keen to determine themselves — those that have both been concerned with a specific scenario or witnessed one thing they thought was inappropriate.
However now and again, a criticism is filed anonymously and people, too, are investigated, the chief stated. It helps when these submitting complaints determine themselves as a result of typically extra info is required to spur a correct investigation, the chief stated.
On the Feb. 11 assembly, the committee recognized the stakeholders that might be requested to supply representatives for his or her views over the following two conferences. These embody: the County District Legal professional’s workplace: the general public defender; The Retreat — an East-Hampton-based nonprofit that assists households experiencing abusive conditions; Shelter Island Faculty officers; college students and highschool graduates; OLA — an East Finish Latino advocacy group; the Chamber of Commerce; the church buildings; Senior Companies; the Hearth District; EMS Companies; the Library: the Freeway Division; staff who come to the Island for day labor; the Heights; Dering Harbor; Shelter Island Patrolman’s Benevolent Affiliation; the ferry corporations; regional representatives of the NAACP; and Wille Jenkins of Bridgehampton, to characterize Black Lives Matter motion on the East Finish.
The general public discussion board, the place any resident can weigh in, is scheduled for March 3 through Zoom (the Reporter will publish the time and Zoom entry), The committee will current its report back to the City Board at its assembly on March 26.
