HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020_12_28 Racial Equity Taskforce Minutes
Minutes of the Racial Equity Task Force of the Town of Mamaroneck
Held December 28, 2020 at 7:00 pm, via Zoom
Present: Jeffery King (Town Council member, Chairman), Sabrina Fiddelman (Town Council member),
Helen Horsham-Bertels, Lynne Murphy-Rivera, Andrew Tannenbaum, Stephen Altieri (Town
Administrator), Paul Creazzo (Chief of Police)
Chairman King called the meeting to order.
Ms. Fiddelman spoke to anyone watching the meeting and indicated no live comments would be
possible this evening but any comments or questions sent to the email address
PublicQC@TownofMamaroneckNY.org would be responded to within 24 hours.
I. New Business
a. Review of Post Card
The post card designed to direct residents to the online Police reform survey is at the printer and should
be ready to be mailed by mid-week. It will go via a postal carrier sort to homes in the Town of
Mamaroneck.
b.Response to Task Force Questions
The Task Force addressed the second packet of information sent to us by Mr. Altieri and Chief Creazzo in
answer to questions raised in the initial report, “Police Department Areas of Concentration”.
We do not have ethnic/racial data on traffic stops.
Ms. Horsham-Bertels asked if the Department tracks the training it’s officers receive. The Chief indicated
that the initial training given by the County follows a curriculum and all new officers receive that
training.
Mr. Tannenbaum asked what the process for receiving and processing a complaint to the Department is.
Complaints may come directly to the Department, through the Town Administrator’s office or through a
Town Board member. The procedure is outlined in SOP 3-93 provided in the initial report. The
Department does have an Internal Affairs officer.
It was noted and discussed that 6 complaints (the actual number received) in 10 years is very low. The
Task Force asked if it was possible to get this data for similar municipalities in the County. The Chief will
reach out to a few other departments to try to get comparable information.
The Task Force asked to see the actual complaint records. The Chief will redact and forward as
appropriate.
The Task Force discussed the response to calls about “suspicious activity” and the complication that not
all calls are credible. The Chief described the Department’s response and noted it was important to
follow up on credible calls for the safety of the community.
c. Report Format and Task Force Recommendations
The Town’s response to Executive Order 203 needs to be approved by the Town Board and certified by
the Town Supervisor. The Town Administrator will write the draft report on behalf of the Task Force. The
report will contain recommendations made by the Task Force. Although we still do not have all the data
we are expecting (early survey results will be provided at our meeting of 1/11/201) each member of the
Task Force will forward ideas for recommendations to Ms. Fiddelman who will compile them for
discussion at the next meeting. They should be categorized within the initial areas of interest outlined by
the Task Force.
d. Westchester County Planning Sheet Data-Demographics
Mr. King pointed us to the data sheet provided by the County in answer to the Task Force’s question
about the ethnic/racial make-up of the unincorporated area of the Town of Mamaroneck.
e. Mark Levy email dated 12/23/2020
Dr. Levy responded to the Task Force’s question about the demographics of the clients of the
Community Counseling Center. Basically, the demographics are those of the school district. Dr. Levy
pointed us to the school district for that information.
f. Revised Timetable
We reviewed the timeline detailed in Mr. Altieri’s timetable revised on 12/23/2020.
g. Preliminary Review-T.M.P.D. Areas of Concentration
As described above, the Task Force will categorize its recommendations within the seven categories
initially outlined.
II. Status of the Survey
To date we have received 217 responses, two of which are in Spanish.
III. Next meeting date scheduled for Monday, January 4, 2021