A new initiative to strengthen the bond between the Nassau County Police Department and the community it serves was formed last week, according to Nassau County Executive Laura Curran.
The Police and Community Trust initiative, Curran said, is aimed at building trust and transparency, and developing a working dialogue between community activists and the Police Department.
“I have the utmost confidence in our residents, and believe we will emerge stronger and more united if we can listen, engage with good faith, and respect one another,” Curran said.
Curran will co-chair the committee with South Floral Park Mayor and defense attorney Geoffrey Prime.
“This PACT is an important step, but let us remember that it is only a first step. It represents a continuation (not an end) of the efforts of these organizers,” Prime said. “I look forward to working with members of law enforcement to help ensure that people from all marginalized communities can have confidence in a system that many of us take for granted.”
Others who will participate in meetings as members of the initiative include Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder, Hofstra University Law School professor Fred Klein, Garden City Police Commissioner Kenneth Jackson, three members of the Police Department’s community affairs sector, and four community activists (three of whom are student activists).
“The Police And Community Trust initiative will increase our efforts and awareness so that we can continue to grow the partnership between our police officers and the communities they serve,” Ryder said.
“As a young Black woman from this community, I’m excited to have and push these conversations forward,” student and community activist Blair Baker said. “This is not the time to be defensive but instead the time for an honest and open conversation in order to break the barriers between the police and the community.”
The formation of the initiative comes after 14 arrests made by the county’s Police Department during various demonstrations and marches throughout Nassau in response to the killing of George Floyd.
Floyd, a black man, was arrested on May 25 by Minneapolis police officers after a deli employee contacted authorities, accusing him of buying cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill, according to news reports.
A viral video showed Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin holding his knee on Floyd’s neck. A criminal complaint from the Hennepin County attorney’s office said, “The defendant had his knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in total. Two minutes and 53 seconds of this was after Mr. Floyd was non-responsive.”
Chauvin, who is white, was initially charged with third-degree murder until his charge was updated to second-degree murder and manslaughter, according to news reports. He was one of four officers fired from the Police Department due to the incident.
The complaint said three factors contributed to Floyd’s death: “The combined effects of Mr. Floyd being restrained by the police, his underlying health conditions and any potential intoxicants in his system likely contributed to his death.”
Three other Minneapolis police officers who were present at the scene of the arrest were also charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder, according to news reports.
Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas also called for reform two weeks ago and said that her office will make changes to monitor law enforcement throughout the county.
“As Nassau’s chief law enforcement official, I believe that this is an important moment to listen to those voices in our community calling for change, to reflect on how we can improve, and to affirm our commitment to do better,” Singas said.
Singas outlined some of the ways that her office will enhance the monitoring of law enforcement throughout the county in a letter to residents on June 8.
The district attorney’s office, Singas said, will form a partnership with Hofstra University’s Maurice A. Deane Law School to analyze data and find any link to racial disparity and bias in any charges and cases along with any corrective action warranted.
Singas said her office will also appoint a special prosecutor for every new case where a police officer is credibly accused of criminal conduct in the course of duties.
This action is an expansion of the state’s Executive Order 147, which was signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2015 and allowed a special prosecutor to be appointed to any case where there may be conflict on the local level and for that prosecutor to supersede the decision of any county’s district attorney throughout New York.
On June 12, Cuomo signed into law the repealing of section 50(a) of the New York State Civil Rights Law, which protects the personnel records of police, firefighters and correction officers. Singas said she supported the need to reform the law but continued to say that repealing the law could put the families of those affected in danger.
“I support significant reform to Section 50(a), however, police officers do dangerous work, the overwhelming majority do their jobs with courage and integrity, and repeal that does not afford protection to officers’ personal information could endanger officers and their families.”
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran announced on June 15 that the county issued a request for expression of interest to develop and implement a body camera program for the county’s Police Department.
“Now more than ever, we must continue to build trust between communities and the police. Nassau does community policing better than anyone else, but we always strive to do better,” Curran said. “Body cameras have proven to be a valuable tool in promoting transparency, safety, and accountability. Nassau is bringing everyone to the table to make positive, concrete change.”
According to county officials, parties that are interested in participating or people with questions regarding the development of the program can contact PoliceDepartmentCameras@nassaucountyny.gov.
