This communication was posted on the Village of Potsdam Website earlier today. Registration links are below. For more information, please contact Kelly Chezum, VP for External Relations, kchezum@clarkson.edu.
Members of the Potsdam Village Police Advisory Committee will present the draft recommendations and plan as a result of the committee’s work over the past several months. Members of the public are invited to register and join one of the Zoom meetings on Thursday, March 18 at 12:00 PM or Monday, March 22 at 6:00 PM to learn about the details of the plan. There will be an opportunity for public comments and questions. The meetings will not be live- streamed, but public comments can be emailed at any time before or after the meetings to community@potsdampolice.com.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo established the New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative via Executive Order No. 203 in June 2020. Potsdam Mayor Reinhold Tischler selected and appointed the members of the Village of Potsdam Police Advisory Committee in recognition of the contributions each individual could provide to the process and of their collective dedication to the community. Representatives of the major institutions, including the two universities, school district, and hospital system, were invited, along with a number of active community citizens, two trustees, the town supervisor, Chief of Police, and one member of the department. The following document was compiled after months of meetings with community citizens, stakeholders, and leaders to identify recommendations for local changes to create systemic change that combats the inequities that exist in our society.
The Police Advisory Committee met regularly between October 2020 and March 2021, with all meetings except the initial session held virtually via Zoom due to public health restrictions. Full committee meetings were live-streamed on the village’s Facebook page, and comments were welcomed. The Committee later divided into three subcommittees: data and reporting, community, and operations. These three subcommittees focused on their topic areas and created a list of recommendations to help our community move forward. The most critical recommendation is the establishment of a Citizens Advisory Board, which will meet regularly and create a plan of action to implement the goals outlined in the plan. The plan is a starting point for our community to enact changes strategically and diligently; this is only the beginning of the critical work our community has committed to undergo.
Register for Thursday, March 18 at 12:00 PM Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIudOyupjopG9K6iYa_QeHR-sM6VEPyY9gN
Register for Monday, March 22 at 6:00 PM Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcudOmuqjIjGtyIa0VmAxq2itI0iS_MUXtS