Yorktown Releases Police Review

Recommendations include body camera testing, civilian complaint reports

Yorktown Supervisor Matt Slater today released the Yorktown Coalition on Community Safety and Engagement’s report on the Yorktown Police Department.

The report was prepared in compliance with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order 203 requiring all local governments with police departments to perform a comprehensive review of current police force deployments, strategies, policies, procedures and practices. After the review, local governments are required to prepare a plan to improve any deficiencies or shortfalls identified during the process by April 1, 2021.

The report’s recommendations include:

• Testing of body cameras
• Quarterly reports about civilian complaints
• Annual anti-bias and de-escalation service training

The Yorktown Coalition on Community Safety and Engagement arrived at its recommendations after holding six public online meetings on October 8 and 20; November 12, 19 and 24; and January 6. The meetings were recorded and shared on the town’s website and YouTube page.

“We were reminded that our police department already operates at one of the highest professional levels possible, as demonstrated by its longstanding status as an accredited police agency by the New York State Division of Criminal justice Services, a status only 29% of New York State’s 540 law enforcement agencies have achieved,” Supervisor Slater wrote in the report.

The Yorktown Coalition on Community Safety and Engagement series included two presentations by Chief Robert Noble and two listening sessions for community partners. Dozens of community members attended the six meetings. Topics raised by residents included: civilian review boards, micro-aggressions, the Yorktown Police’s active engagement with residents, body cameras, implicit-bias awareness training, teen intervention programs, de-escalation strategies, lethal force reduction and police policies.

The coalition’s members were:

• Jim Poulin – President of the Yorktown Lions
• Rabbi Robbie Weiner – Yorktown Interfaith Coalition
• Rosemarie Panio – Chairperson of the Senior Advisory Committee
• Toni Reynolds – Citizen Representative
• Liz Rivera – Citizen Representative
• Peter Lanza – Vice President of the Yorktown Chamber of Commerce
• Paul Cirilo – Youth Representative
• Supervisor Matt Slater
• Police Chief Robert Noble

The coalition also received signed and anonymous written correspondence from the public, as well as both superintendents of the school districts that serve Yorktown. All correspondence was shared with coalition members and read into the record by Supervisor Slater. Town officials also encouraged members of Yorktown for Justice, a local civil justice group, to participate in all the coalition meetings, and they did.

Copies of the report and Chief Noble’s recommendations are attached below.