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[ TOWN OF GREENBURGH OFFICE OF THE TOWN BOARD 177 Hillside Avenue, Greenburgh, NY 10607 Tel: 914-989-1525 Fax: 914-993-1541 Email: JDudek@Greenburghny.com https://ny-greenburgh.civicplus.com/485/Watch-Live-Board-Meetings ]
AT 7:12 PM AND UM, FIRST WE'LL HAVE THE ROLL CALL, THE P OF ALLEGIANCE.ACTUALLY THE PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE STAND.
THE FLAG FLAG OF UNITED, UNITED STATES, OF AMERICA AND WIT STANDS, ONE UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE ALL.
AND NOW THE TOWN, UM, ATTORNEY WILL DO THE ROLL CALL.
COUNCILMAN FRANCIS SHEEN, PRESENT TOWN.
COUNCILMAN KEN JONES, PRESENT AND TOWN COUNCILWOMAN GINA JACKSON.
SO, UM, I'M GINA, WOULD YOU LIKE TO INTRODUCE THE RESOLUTION? I WANT TO THANK YOU AND FRANCIS FOR, UM, UH, SPENDING EIGHT HOURS TODAY.
UM, FINALIZING, UH, THE WORDING, YOU WORKED REALLY HARD AND, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO THANK BOTH OF YOU FOR, UH, YOUR EFFORTS, RIGHT? AND, UH, I WOULD ALSO, BEFORE I INTRODUCE THIS, UH, RESOLUTION, I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE SOME OF THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS THAT ARE ONLINE.
WE HAVE THE CHAIR, HOWARD TRILL.
HOWARD LYNN GOODMAN, BRIDGET BROWN, CHIEF MCNERNEY, KEN JONES, AND FRANCIS SHEEN.
SO THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK.
SO THANK YOU RICHARD, FOR JOINING.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK ON THIS EFFORT.
AND AS I CONTINUE TO SAY TO EVERYONE, IT'S ONGOING.
SO, FRANCIS, IF YOU WANNA BRING BACK THE RESOLUTIONS, I'LL, I'LL GO AHEAD AND READ IT AND INTRODUCE IT.
OKAY, EVERYONE, I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE T ONE RESOLUTION, THE TOWN BOARD OF THE TOWN OF GREENBURG, ACCEPTING THE POLICE REFORM REPORT OF THE GREENBURG AGAINST SYSTEMIC RACISM, G A S R LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMITTEE, AND ADOPTING THE RE THE REFORM RECOMMENDATIONS PURSUANT TO EXECUTIVE ORDER 2 0 3, ISSUE BY GOVERNOR, THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
YOU'RE MOVING THAT, I'M MOVING THAT TO, I'M MOVING THAT SECOND.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH EVERYBODY.
YOU KNOW WHAT? I'M JUST WONDERING, DID WE OPEN UP THE, DID WE OPEN UP THIS
WE DIDN'T EVEN, YOU GOTTA DO THIS AGAIN? WE MAY, THAT'S FINE.
YOU KNOW, IT WAS GOOD PRACTICE BECAUSE WE WERE SUPPOSED TO VOTE ON THAT AS AMENDED.
SO WE, WE NEED A MOTION TO OPEN THE MEETING.
LET'S DO THE REAL MEETING NOW.
SO JUST BEFORE WE GET STARTED AGAIN, I DO WANNA RECOGNIZE, UM, COMMITTEE MEMBERS THAT ARE ON THE CALL.
WE HAVE OUR CHAIR, HOWARD TRIPLE.
WE HAVE DONALD WILLIAMS, KEN JONES, FRANCIS SHEEN, UH, LYNN GOODMAN, CHIEF MCNERNEY, CAROL ALLEN, AND BRIDGETTE BROWN.
SO THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK.
I KNOW WE HAVE SOME COMMITTEE MEMBERS THAT ARE EITHER WATCHING OR JOINING, BUT THIS, THIS COMMITTEE DID SOME REALLY HARD GOOD WORK.
SO AGAIN, I JUST BE ON BEHALF OF THE TOWN.
I WANNA SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND EFFORT.
UM, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, WE MOVE ON AND WE CAN PASS THE RESOLUTION.
SO, TB ONE RESOLUTION FOR THE TOWN BOARD OF THE TOWN OF GREENBURG, ACCEPTING THE POLICE REFORM REPORT OF THE GREENBERG AGAINST SYSTEMIC RACISM, G A S R, LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMITTEE, AND ADOPTING REFORM RECOMMENDATION PURSUANT TO EXECUTIVE ORDER NUMBER 2 0 3, ISSUED BY GOVERNOR OF THE NEW YORK STATE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
I MOVE TO, UM, UH, MY MOTION IS TO MOVE THIS FORWARD AS AMENDED.
SEE, IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE PRACTICE.
UM, YOU CLOSE THE MEETING UNLESS, UH, ANY MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE WOULD WANNA SAY ANYTHING OR, OR CHIEF OR YOU, UH, YOU WORK REALLY HARD AND THE COMMITTEE WORK REALLY HARD.
AND IF YOU WANNA SAY A FEW WORDS, THAT WOULD BE GREAT IF YOU WANT.
I, I, I ACTUALLY, I'M JUST, AS I SAID EARLIER, I AM JUST VERY GRATEFUL
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OF THE COMMITTEE AND ALL ITS HARD WORK THAT THEY PUT TOWARD THE THIS REPORT.UM, AGAIN, I CANNOT BE AS, AS EXCITED AS I AM FOR THE HARDWORKING COMMITTEE.
UM, AGAIN, THIS WAS REALLY SOME HARD WORK AND THERE THERE WAS DISAGREEMENTS, AGREEMENTS, NO AGREEMENTS,
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE'RE ABLE TO COME TOGETHER COLLECTIVELY AND COME WHAT I BELIEVE IS A REALLY GOOD PRODUCT.
SO I'M VERY GRATEFUL FOR, UM, THE LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMITTEE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE CHAIR, HOWARD TRI FOR ALL YOUR INSIGHT.
UM, CAROL ALLEN FOR YOUR COORDINATION AND ALL THE OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
THE SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS, UM, WE HAD ELECTED OFFICIALS WHO PARTICIPATED AS WELL.
UH, MARY JAMES CHIMPSKY, TOM ABERNATHY, ALFREDA WILLIAMS. SO AGAIN, IT'S, AGAIN, THIS IS SUCH HARD WORK THAT HAS TO CONTINUE AND IT'S TIRING, BUT IT'S, IT'S, IT'S MU IT'S NEEDED, ESPECIALLY AS WE WATCH THE TRIAL TODAY.
AND AGAIN, THAT, AND THAT BRINGS ME SOME EMOTION TO THIS AS WELL.
AND WE KNOW, AND AND I, AND I SAID THIS DURING THE COMMITTEE MEETING, AND I WANNA SAY THIS PUBLICLY, I KNOW THAT GREENBERG DOES NOT MIRROR MINNEAPOLIS.
OKAY? BUT WHAT I DO KNOW THAT I CAN ALWAYS SAY THAT ANY DEPARTMENT IS, CAN ALWAYS IMPROVE.
SO, AND EVEN AS AN INDIVIDUAL AS MYSELF, I CAN ALWAYS IMPROVE.
SO THIS IS NOTHING FOR US TO SAY THAT, UM, GREENBURG POLICE DEPARTMENT IS A BAD DEPARTMENT.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT AS WE TAKE A LOOK AT ALL OF THE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES AND ALL THE ACTIONS THAT HAVE HAPPENED BY GREENBURG POLICE DEPARTMENT, THAT THEY'RE IN LINE AND THEY, THEY HAVE NO DISPARITIES OR ANYTHING.
WE JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE BEST POLICE DEPARTMENT.
SO THIS IS WHAT THIS POLICE, THIS IS WHAT THIS REPORT IS ABOUT.
OKAY? SO THIS IS NOT TO TAKE ANY SHOTS AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
THIS IS NOT TO DEFUND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
THIS IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE THE BEST IN CLASS.
WE WANNA BE A MODEL FOR, UH, THE REST OF THE NATION.
AND I THINK, UH, THE REPORT AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS AS, AS IT'S BEING IMPLEMENTED WILL HELP US BE A MODEL FOR THE REST OF THE COUNTY, STATE, AND YOU AND NATION.
YOU KNOW, I REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, WORKING WITH YOU AND THE COMMITTEE ON, UM, YOU KNOW, ON NOT ONLY HAVING WORDS, BUT ACTUALLY ON IMPLEMENTATION.
AND I WONDER IF ANY OF THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS WHO ARE HERE WOULD WANNA SAY ANYTHING.
THEY'RE PROBABLY HOLDING UNTIL NEXT TWO WEEKS.
I WOULD LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING.
I'D LIKE TO THANK, UH, YEAH,
AND I'M JUST HONORED TO BE A PART OF THIS AND BRIDGE.
I GET ALL THE HARD WORK YOU PUT IN AS WELL.
HOWARD, DID YOU WANNA SAY SOMETHING? REALLY? UH, YES, I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T.
UH, GINA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BRINGING ME ON BOARD.
UH, AND ALL THE VOLUNTEERS THAT WORKED ON THE COMMITTEE, UM, THE HARD WORK THAT WAS PUT IN AND THE HEARTFELT, UH, EMOTIONS, UH, THAT WAS, UH, PUT INTO THE WORK THAT WAS DONE WAS UNBELIEVABLE.
AND BEING A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, YOU KNOW, I REALLY FELT THE COMPASSION FROM EACH AND EVERY, UH, MEMBER AND, AND IT REALLY CAME OUT THAT THE BEST FOR GREENBERG WAS PUT IN THIS FOREFRONT.
SO I REALLY WANT TO THANK EVERYONE, UH, FROM GINA ON DOWN, UM, FOR MAKING, UH, THE JOB THAT I HAD SO EASY.
I, I HAVE TO GIVE A A, A REALLY BIG, BIG, AND THIS TAKES NOTHING AWAY FROM ALL THE COMMUNITY.
I JUST THINK FRANCIS, BECAUSE FRANCIS, AFTER WE GET OFF THE, AFTER I GET OFF THE CALLS WITH THE REGULAR COMMITTEE, I'M ON THE PHONE WITH FRANCIS AND JUST SAYING, FRANCIS, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, WE, WE ARE DOING THIS RIGHT AND THAT IT'S IN LINE.
AND I'M MAKING SURE THAT, THAT THE TOWN UNDERSTANDS EXACTLY WHAT THIS COMMITTEE DOES, AND HE HAS JUST BEEN A REALLY GOOD MENTOR AND SUPPORTER, AND HE IS REALLY AT THE FOREFRONT OF REALLY TRYING TO ERADICATE SYSTEMIC RACISM.
SO I JUST HAVE TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH, FRANCIS, FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE.
THANK YOU FOR MAKING SURE THAT YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU, YOU, I'LL SAY THIS, THAT YOU, YOU, YOU PULL ME OFF THE LEDGE, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE JUST GET SO FRUSTRATED.
BUT DICK, JUST MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, I CONTINUE TO BE FOCUSED AND, AND NOT ONLY IN THE COMMITTEE, BUT ALSO ON THE BOARD, BUT I JUST REALLY HAVE TO GIVE, I REALLY HAVE TO GIVE THANK 'CAUSE I DON'T KNOW.
WHAT I DON'T TELL PEOPLE IS ALL THE WORK AND THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS ARE ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO BEHIND THE SCENES FOR US.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HARD EFFORT, KEN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BRINGING ALL YOUR LEGAL EXPERTISE
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TO THIS AS WELL.I AM JUST, I'M JUST FULL OF JUST EXCITEMENT AND, AND, AND GLAD THAT THIS PIECE IS DONE, BUT KNOWING THAT WE STILL GOT A WHOLE LOT MORE WORK TO DO, BUT THANK YOU, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I I I DEFINITELY APPRECIATE THAT.
UH, IT, IT WAS REALLY AN HONOR TO WORK WITH THIS, THIS GROUP, THIS COMMITTEE.
AND WE ALSO HAVE ANOTHER GROUP.
THE, UH, LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, WITH THE ADDRESSING BLACK LIVES MATTER, ANOTHER GREAT GROUP.
I MEAN, IT'S JUST, THESE ARE DIFFICULT DISCUSSIONS.
MANY OF YOU KNOW, MANY OF THESE DISCUSSIONS.
WE HAD A GROUP, NO ONE WAS SHY, EVERYBODY SPOKE THEIR OPINION.
I THINK THE END RESULT WAS A, A GOOD PRODUCT.
AND, UH, WE WILL MEET THE DEADLINE QUALITY NEEDS TO SIGN THE CERTIFICATION TOMORROW AND SEND IT OFF AND WE WILL MEET, MEET THE DEADLINE.
UH, BUT JUST SITTING THROUGH EACH ONE OF THESE, THESE MEETINGS, YOU KNOW, WITH THE DISCUSSIONS AND KNOWING THE IMPORTANCE OF THE WORK, RIGHT? THIS IS NOT A COMMITTEE.
UH, WELL, I DON'T WANNA DISPARAGE ANY COMMITTEE.
THIS IS NOT A COMMITTEE THAT IS DEALING WITH MINOR ISSUES.
THESE ARE VERY SERIOUS ISSUES AND THAT, UH, WE HAD TO ADDRESS.
AND, UM, UH, AND AGAIN, AS GINA SAID, NOT BECAUSE WE THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS THE, THESE TYPES OF ISSUES, BUT WE JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY DON'T HAVE THESE TYPE OF ISSUES, UH, GOING FORWARD.
AND YEAH, AND, AND YOU KNOW, THERE'S JUST A, JUST JUST A, A CALL FOR MORE, UM, MORE CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT IN, IN THE PROCESSES.
AND THAT'S, AND THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT THIS IS, THIS THIS IS DOING.
AND, AND, YOU KNOW, I I SHOULD MENTION, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST IN PRAISE OF, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE PROACTIVE MEASURES OF POLICE HAVE TAKEN OVER THE YEARS, YOU KNOW, WE STARTED THE COMMUNITY POLICING WAY BEFORE MANY OTHER COMMUNITIES.
UH, GREENBERG WAS THE FIRST COMMUNITY, I THINK IN 19, UM, ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE YEARS AGO THAT OUTFITTED ALL THE POLICE OFFICERS, UM, WITH, UH, BODY CAMERAS.
WE DID THAT WAY BEF I THINK IN 2016.
UM, YOU KNOW, I BELIEVE, UM, YOU KNOW, WAY BEFORE MOST OTHER COMMUNITIES IN WESTCHESTER OR THE NATION, YOU KNOW, DID THAT, UH, WE HAVE THE POLICE SUMMER YOUTH CAMP, UM, WHICH WE'VE HAD FOR I THINK 22 YEARS, WHICH HAS INVOLVED THE COMMUNITY, UM, YOU KNOW, YOUNG PEOPLE, UM, IN, IN POLICING.
IN FACT, UM, KYLE, UH, SHEPHERD EMAILED ME, UM, YESTERDAY AND SAID THAT THAT EXPERIENCE REALLY CHANGED HIS LIFE.
AND NOW, UH, HE GOT ADMITTED TO YALE.
UM, HE'S ON, HE'S ON, UM, THE POLICE COMMUNITY ADVISORY, UH, BOARD.
YOU KNOW, HE'S, YOU KNOW, IT IT GAVE HIM A REAL POSITIVE TASTE OF, UH, WHEN HE WAS WORKING WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH THE POLICE.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE DONE I THINK A LOT OF THINGS, BUT I THINK WHAT'S NICE ABOUT THIS REPORT IS WE'RE NOT RESTING ON THE PAST SUCCESSES, BUT WE'RE, UH, LOOKING FOR WAYS TO, UM, BECOME EVEN, YOU KNOW, EVEN BETTER.
AND THAT'S WHAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT.
I JUST WANNA RECOGNIZE, UM, MY COORDINATOR, CAROL ALICE, SHE HAS HER HAND UP.
CAROL, WE HAVE THANKED ALL OF THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO CHIEF MCNERNEY.
UH, HE HAS BEEN AN INTEGRAL PART OF OUR COMMITTEE, HAS WORKED OPENLY, HONESTLY, WITH US.
AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU CHIEF, THAT WE CAN IMPLEMENT THESE RECOMMENDATIONS SO THAT YOUR DEPARTMENT WILL BE, WILL BE ABLE TO BETTER POLICE US TO MAKE US FEEL SAFE.
AND YOU CAN CONTINUE TO BE A MODEL DEPARTMENT FOR THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
IT WAS, UM, IT WAS A VERY GOOD COMMITTEE.
UM, I THINK WE HAVE SOME, SOME EXCELLENT RECOMMENDATIONS THAT CAME OUT OF THIS.
AND, UH, THE LEADERSHIP OF, OF GINA HOWARD AND CAROL WAS, WAS EXEMPLARY.
AND I, I LOOK FORWARD TO IMPLEMENTING SOME OF THESE, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS AND, AND CONTINUING TO WORK TO, UH, TO IMPROVE THE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE I SAID EARLY ON, I, I'M VERY PROUD OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
I KNOW WE DO A GOOD JOB, BUT THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM TO IMPROVE AND WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING TO IMPROVE AND, UH, WE STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE.
SO I THANK EVERYONE AND I LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, IMPLEMENTATION AND CONTINUED PROGRESS.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN PHASE TWO,
SO, YOU KNOW, GINA, UH, RECRUITMENT, HIRING AND TRAINING IS MEETING ON MONDAY,
WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR CONTINUED
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LEADERSHIP.THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK.
I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL WE CAN GET IN FRONT OF EACH OTHER SO WE CAN AT LEAST JUST CELEBRATE THIS, YOU KNOW, AND I APPRECIATE YOU BUYING DINNER.
THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, I REALLY
IT, IT COMES OUT OF PAUL'S BUDGET.
THE DAY COMES OUT, OUR BUDGET IS
SO WHAT I FURTHER DO, IF ANYONE DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO SAY, I KNOW THERE IS ANOTHER MEETING THAT'S HAPPENING AT SEVEN 30, RIGHT? THAT'S TRUE.
VERY IMPORTANT MEETING THAT PEOPLE MAY WANNA THANK YOU.
SO EVERYONE, UM, I MOVE FORWARD TO, TO CLOSE THIS MEETING.
I THINK WE DID THAT ALREADY, BUT IN CASE WE HAVE NOT, SO I MAKE A MOTION TO CLOSE THIS MEETING.
EVERYONE HAVE A GREAT EVENING.
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR HARD WORK.