Referred to: The Law Enforcement and Public Safety Committee (Chairwoman Walter and Legislators Fabiano, Haynes, Heppner and Parete), and The Ways and Means Committee (Chairman Gavaris and Legislators Archer, Bartels, Haynes, Maio, Parete, Ronk, and Walter)

Chairwoman of the Law Enforcement and Public Safety Committee, Eve Walter, offers the following:

WHEREAS, Resolution No. 410 of October 15, 2019 established the Ulster County Criminal Justice Reform Task Force (UC-CJRTF) to evaluate Restorative Justice Services in the county and explore opportunities for improvement and expansion; and

WHEREAS, the Ulster County Legislature is in receipt of, and has reviewed the report of the UC-CJRTF; and

WHEREAS, the Criminal Justice Reform Taskforce identified that law enforcement are entrusted by the public to demonstrate high ethical standards which are consistent with the law they have sworn to uphold; and

WHEREAS, the UC-CJRTF further found that to be worthy of this trust and to ensure that the professional conduct of law enforcement is lifted and held at the highest level, internal regulation and robust training must be prioritized and fully integrated into any law enforcement body; and

WHEREAS, professionalism in law enforcement requires establishing minimum standards of ethical codes of conduct, vigorous investigations into breeches of these codes, and defined rules for internal discipline to ensure compliance; and

WHEREAS, in the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office currently complaints against officers presented both internally and externally are handled as a collateral duty by a member of the Sherriff’s team; and

WHEREAS, this structure substantially limits response to these complaints due to a finite amount of person-time available to investigate and respond in conjunction with regular duties, and, creates a troubling lack of independence from those for whom the complaint is about; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, that a full time Professional Standards Supervisor position is added to the office of the Sheriff to: oversee audits, quality assurance, and policy for that office and its members, conduct team inspections, uphold the Sheriff’s Office Code of Conduct and investigate and claims of violation; and, be it further

RESVOLVED, that this supervisor will provide administrative oversight of  matters related to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) programing and training, including de-escalation and peer-to-peer mental health support instruction; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that this supervisor will create, implement, and regularly evaluate a triage diversion plan for individuals presenting with a mental health crisis to law enforcement, and will be responsible for the evaluation of current law enforcement policy the recommendation of potential revisions; and, be it further

RESOLVED, and that this position will report to the Sheriff and Undersheriff, and shall not be affiliated with any unions; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that the 2021 Ulster County Budget is hereby amended as follows:

INCREASE                               AMOUNT            

AA-3110-1810-1400-1400           Regular Pay                                $ 28,942.00

(App.#)

AA-3110-1810-4300-4345           Professional Services                   $ 10,000.00

(App.#)                                       Education/Training

AA-3110-1810-8000-8000           Retirement                                  $  4,828.00

(App.#)

AA-3110-1810-8010-8010           Social Security                            $  2,215.00

(App.#)

AA-3110-1810-8020                   Health Insurance                         $  7,922.00

(App.#)

AA-9900-9900-3700                   Appropriated Fund Balance          $43,905.00

(Rev.#),

and move its adoption.

ADOPTED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:

AYES:                       NOES:     

Passed Committee: Law Enforcement and Public Safety on ______________.

Passed Committee: Ways and Means on ______________.

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

$53,905.00 – ADDITIONAL 2021 APPROPRIATION DOLLARS

$85,838.00 – ESTIMATED 2022 ANNUAL REGULAR PAY