The East Hampton Town Police Department and the town's Police Reform and Reinvention Committee will hold an online public comment session to review a newly drafted plan on Thursday at 7 p.m. Members of the public have been invited to share their thoughts and comments on it.
The draft plan on reform and reinvention is mandated by an executive order in June from Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo directing local governments to perform a comprehensive review of police force deployments, strategies, policies, procedures, and practices; develop a plan to improve them to address the needs of the communities they serve and promote community engagement, and address any racial bias and disproportionate policing of communities of color.
East Hampton's Police Reform and Reinvention Committee has been working on the plan since December with the intention of identifying community concerns and increasing positive relations between the public and the police force.
An initial public listening session was held in October, before the first committee meeting, and a public survey was circulated to gauge the most important aspects of reform from the community perspective. Members of the committee presented its recommendations to the town board on Tuesday, describing a positive police-community relationship while identifying several recommendations for improvement.
Thursday's public comment session will be broadcast via LTV's YouTube channel. Members of the public can call in to 617-691-8724 to comment.
The state has imposed an April 1 deadline for municipalities to adopt their police reform plans. The East Hampton Town Board is slated to vote on it during its regular meeting on March 18.