By Rob Calarco
Presiding Officer, Suffolk County Legislature
The Suffolk County Legislature this month is being presented with plans to reinvent policing in our county, and we are opening an extensive public comment period to give community members every opportunity to share their thoughts with us.
The plans were created pursuant to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order No. 203, “NYS Police
Rob Calarco Presiding Officer, Suffolk County Legislature Reform and Reinvention Collaborative,” which directs that each local government entity with a police agency perform a comprehensive review of current police practices and develop a plan to reinvent policing. The crux of the initiative is to identify the needs of communities, promote community engagement to foster trust, fairness and legitimacy, and address any racial bias and disproportionate policing of communities of color.
The legislature will hold three virtual public hearings covering both the Suffolk County Police Department’s reform plan and the Sheriff’s Office’s reform plan. Members of the public can weigh in at special meetings of the legislature’s Public Safety Committee via Zoom at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 11 or Thursday, March 18. To speak at either of those hearings, sign up at www.scnylegislature.us/PublicSafetyPH. A public hearing will also be held on Tuesday, March 16 at 2 p.m. during the legislature’s general meeting. To speak at that hearing, sign up at www.scnylegislature.us/publichearing. Each speaker will have the floor for 3 minutes. The hearings will be livestreamed on the legislature’s website.
The legislature’s rules do not require such a substantial public comment period, but the critically important nature of these plans calls for going above and beyond. These two reform plans are about our future; not only will they affect residents today, but they will also impact generations of residents long after us. Essential to our due diligence as my colleagues and I weigh these reform plans will be understanding how our constituents feel about them, so we want to make sure that everyone who wants to speak has the opportunity. Meaningful change should not be instituted in a vacuum. For change to be successful – to really take hold and become a part of our community’s culture – it needs buy in from stakeholders.
As elected officials, we have a responsibility to our constituents to ensure that they are being heard. This is why we are holding three public hearings. This is why we are having them in the evening and in the afternoon, so that people can speak at a time that is convenient for them. This is why we are not voting on these plans until we have heard from the community. Government is about public service, and to serve the public we need to include the public.
The Suffolk County Legislature must vote on the reform plans by the end of the month. We must ensure these plans address the root of fears from people on both sides of the discussion and build on the initiatives already underway to establish trust and confidence between our law enforcement agencies and the communities they protect. To do that, we need to hear from you. Police reinvention will be a part of our legacy as the people living in Suffolk County in 2021, and we should all be a part of it.
I encourage all who are interested to read more about the plans, watch the hearings, and speak up if you have something to say. For more information, visit www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Police-Reform and www.suffolkcountysheriffsoffice.com/police-reform.