City Of Fulton Implements Police Reform, Reinvention Plan

FULTON – The City of Fulton will now begin to implement changes to the workings of its police department after adopting the police reform plan proposed by a reform committee.

In June 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order, “New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative,” with the purpose of directing law enforcement agencies to work on their trust and fairness within their communities, including addressing any racial bias.

The executive order required local governments to assemble stakeholders in the community and discuss the public safety needs within that community.

The list of stakeholders on the committee can be found in the plan’s document, Page 5. The link to the document can be found here.

“We had a diverse sector of the community participate in the stakeholder meetings. We listened to concerns and ideas and we learned where we could enhance our policing efforts,” Mayor Deana Michaels said. “In the end we have a strong program that is intended to improve community policing, provide more positive engagement in the community and introduce several new services. I’m proud of what we delivered and know it could not have been possible without the input from the stakeholders and police department.”

The committee met several times via Zoom video calls and the city reached out to the community with a survey to get their feedback, which was taken into consideration when producing the plan. Westbrook said while there were some negative responses, overall, the response from the committee and the community was positive. The survey responses can be found at the bottom portion of the plan.

It also gave committee members an opportunity to learn more about aspects of the police department and the different types of situations they are dispatched to.

“I was so pleased with our community members, with our business owners that all served on the committee. What they brought to the table was fantastic,” said Don Patrick Jr., committee member and first ward councilor. “I really got quite the education from the police department. We definitely have a great police department… We think we’ve got a great plan that’s submitted to the state and I think everybody did a great job, and we’re pretty happy with it.”

One of the changes the police department plans to make is to recover its accreditation status with the New York State Law Enforcement Accreditation Program. The department lost his accreditation in 2018 after having it for 20 years. Although the department lost its accreditation, its policies were based on guidelines from that program, according to the plan.

The department will apply to be accredited within one year from April 1, 2021.

One of the biggest changes also includes assigning a road patrol supervisor to each of the six wards and its councilors within the city to coordinate with and have a direct line of contact to help meet the wards’ specific needs.

“In the past, what would happen is the councilor would call the desk or anyone would call the desk and every time you’re going to get a different officer,” Police Chief Craig Westbrook said. “So this is a direct contact. If a constituent has a problem that they approach their councilor with, the councilor would then email their contact in this program.”

Westbrook said they are also looking at different ways to address mental health calls, such as utilizing different programs and resources available in the area after being dispatched.

“Some of these [calls] you may find out it’s not a criminal issue, it’s a mental health issue,” Westbrook said. “I think some of them will still need police involvement depending on the condition they’re in, but there’s others where could just be someone who’s having a bad day… They don’t necessarily need a police officer, they need mental health professionals.”

Other changes the department will make include:

• The police department has recently acquired a low profile marked traffic enforcement vehicle to assist with traffic enforcement initiatives and education programs. (Page 14)
• Continue to expand, improve and alter its Body Worn Camera Program. (Page 18)
• Continue to expand and improve policy of recording custodial interrogations of individuals accused of serious crimes such as homicide or violent felony sex offenses. (Page 19)
• Continue to employ necessary resources, training and law enforcement action to identify and arrest hate crime perpetrators. (Page 20)
• Have all members receive training in the following areas: de-escalation, implicit bias, domestic violence, and cultural awareness training within one year of April 1, 2021. The City of Fulton Police Department will have all uniformed members receive Intranasal Naloxone Training (NARCAN) by July 1, 2021. (Page 25)
• Continue its partnership with Menters Ambulance Service for the transportation of non-combative/compliant mental health patients, explore avenues to best collaborate with local service providers to ensure those suffering from mental illness are receiving the assistance they need, and make a concerted effort to contact Mobile Crisis when responding to calls involving mental health. (Page 36)
• The City of Fulton Police Department will have all uniformed road patrol members trained and issued Naloxone to be carried while on duty by July 31, 2021. (Page 37)
• Make every reasonable effort to have a canine unit deployed and in service within one year of April 1, 2021. (Page 38)
• Attempt to have a fully operational Bicycle Patrol Unit by fall 2021. This goal depends on the availability of a DCJS approved Bicycle Patrol Officer School. (Page 39)
• Continue to participate in Project LifeSaver and certify members as Project LifeSaver operators. (Page 38)
• On February 10, 2021 Exchange Zone program was instituted. The City of Fulton will monitor the program and make any changes or alterations that will improve the program. (Page 40).
• Will have all forms of communicating a tip as described above operational by June 30, 2021. (Page 41)
• The City of Fulton Police Department will have a Vacation Watch, Business Watch, and online File a Complaint programs operational by June 30, 2021. (Page 41-42)
• The City of Fulton Police Department will have the community partnership program fully operational within three months of April 1, 2021. (Page 45)

“It’s always good to review things and look at ways to make them better and more efficient,” Westbrook said.

A summary of the implemented changes can be found Page 65 through 70. missing or outdated ad config

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