Mount Hope Police Reform in Motion
Reform plans are moving ahead for Mount Hope Police Department, Police Chief Paul Rickard says. The plan, which was guided by the National Police Foundation and their research, emphasizes transparency.
“If there’s a critical incident, we’ll be open with the public about it,” Rickard said, “whether an officer is involved in a shooting or use of force. We’ll put complaints and use of force incidents on the website dashboard.”
However, one obstacle to that intention, he said, is the necessity of paying an information technology person for website posting.
“I want a work-around, so I can do it,” said Rickard. “But I haven’t needed to do it so far.”
He also said he plans to continue with regular trainings.
“Just because we’ve done trainings in the past doesn’t mean we’re done with them,” he said. “I looked through the plan to see where we are. I want to stay with the plan to do trainings by December 31. It’s my self-imposed deadline.”
Among the trainings are de-escalation, use of force, implicit bias and officer wellness.
Office wellness?
“They do a wellness training and have healthy snacks, like fruit, when they’re working. A wellness committee is working on a strategy,” Rickard said.
The reform plan also requires posting policies on the department website. Those include policies on use of force, restraint, personnel complaints and diversion, he said. The diversion policy allows officers to refer someone arrested for a drug violation to Hope Not Handcuffs volunteers, who have strategies for getting such people into treatment if the arresting officer thinks that would resolve the issue more effectively than incarceration.
“We haven’t diverted anyone yet,” Rickard said.
Meanwhile, the Community Engagement Team has been meeting since June, in contrast with the Deerpark Police Commission, which was appointed by the town board in October, after being chosen by Town Supervisor Gary Spears and Police Chief Richard Sztyndor. The Deerpark group consists of all white residents, mostly men, while the Mount Hope group includes Black and Asian residents, senior and youth representatives, who meet monthly and have impromptu conference calls in between, according to Moniysha Maldonado, a member. They have been developing community engagement strategies which they will soon reveal, she said.
Rickard does not attend meetings unless invited. He followed the National Police Foundation strategy for forming the committee, seeking recommendations for representatives from different demographic groups, he said. However, he noted that the state has no protocol for insuring that reform plans are carried out. Deerpark Supervisor Gary Spears called their reform plan “proposals,” though approved by the town board in March. Spears indicated that the new police commission would decide on implementation of the plan.
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