Cobleskill village officials are seeking more public input––pro and con––about their police department.
A meeting November 10 at 6:30pm at the firehouse to gather that public input is another step in the state-mandated law-enforcement review.
The first public meeting October 1 drew more questions than suggestions, and Mayor Becky Terk and Police Chief Jeff Brown are seeking more information “that pertains to our department,” Mayor Terk said last week.
Questions at the October 1 meeting often focused on police issues in urban areas and whether they’re relevant to Cobleskill, which many aren’t.
But the first session still generated discussion at Mayor Terk’s 20-member law enforcement review committee, which sifted through comments. Chief Brown said the committee focused on two topics in particular:
•Awareness of racial bias, which Cobleskill officers need more training in, Chief Brown said.
•Use of force, which the committee is divided on, Chief Brown said.
On racial bias, one question is whether officers should ask a person’s race when pulled over for a traffic stop or met on the sidewalk.
Asking the race question is one way to measure bias, Chief Brown said, but at the same time, the question could alarm the person and make a low-level stop worse than it should be–-both for the person and the officer.
“The question is whether we should ask at every vehicle stop or every stop on the street,” Chief Brown said.
An alternative, he added, would be for the officer not to ask but to make a judgment on a person’s race. That way would gather at least some data about racial bias without appearing confrontational.
On use of force, some on the committee favor ‘objective reasonableness,’ which allows an officer to use the level of force he or she feels necessary at the time.
“It’s looking at it from the officer’s point of view, at the time it happens, without 20-20 hindsight,” Chief Brown said. “It’s based on only what the officer knew at the time.”
Others on the committee suggested that force be more strictly limited, Chief Brown said.
He hopes to hear more public comment on these issues and others at Tuesday’s listening session.
“Last time, we expected more people and expected more input,” Chief Brown said. “We’re hoping to get additional input.”
The committee will meet again in December, and eventually recommendations and a report will go to Albany by April 1.
Tuesday’s meeting will follow COVID protocol, with masks and social distancing essential. The meeting is limited to 50 people.