Genesee County Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative

The Genesee County Legislature, acting upon a recommendation from its Genesee County Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative, has drafted a resolution to support the New York State Department of Civil Service in the implementation of several reforms designed to promote a more diverse and inclusive law enforcement workforce.

The legislature’s Public Service Committee on Monday passed the resolution, which is expected to be considered by the entire governing body next Wednesday.

Prior to that action, the PSC voted in favor of adopting the final report from the reform and reinvention committee, a 19-member group that met nine times over the past six months in response to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order No. 203 on community policing reform.

Former Legislator Robert Bausch reviewed the 12-page document for the committee, reporting the findings and recommendations on four specific areas:

• What Functions Should Police Perform?
• Employing Smart and Effective Policing Standards and Strategies;
• Fostering Community-Oriented Leadership, Culture and Accountability;
• Recruiting and Supporting Excellent Personnel.

It was the fourth topic that elicited the most comments from legislators and prompted them to compose the civil service reform resolution.

Bausch pointed out that New York State civil service laws, which control most of the employment process, create problems in recruitment through its “list” process and in the time it takes to fill vacant positions.

The Genesee County report indicates that “this is a significant barrier to recruitment and deters those from underserved populations from applying.”

Legislator Marianne Clattenburg agreed, stating “we need to address the way we hire, the Civil Service system. Students with Criminal Justice degrees can’t get on the list. I hope that at some point we can revise the procedures.”

Julie Carasone, consultant and certified implicit bias trainer, reiterated what others have said in recent weeks.

“The Civil Service system is antiquated,” said Carasone, who served on the Genesee County (and City of Batavia) reform committees and helped Bausch write the county’s report.

She then went a step further by imploring the legislators to do something about it.

“That’s where you guys come in as legislators,” she said “We can’t do that without your help … to change the laws and classifications. Just because someone is the most educated, it doesn’t mean he or she is best for the job.”

The legislature’s resolution on Civil Service reforms – which is being sent to the governor, state senators and assembly members -- seeks the following changes:

• Ease the “rule of three” for appointments. The state should consider a simple pass/fail test for deputy sheriffs, correction officers, public safety telecommunicators, and police officers. If this is unachievable, the state should consider band-scoring to a wider band than 5 points to allow for a more robust pool of eligible applicants.

• Ease or suspend the restrictions on hiring former police officers as it applies to Section 58 (4) CSL.

• Ease the restrictions on hiring part-time police officers, especially retired members or retired troopers on a noncompetitive basis. Forcing retired state troopers to have to take a civil service test is unreasonable, especially for a 209-V GML peace officer position.

• Reform civil service rules and regulations to ensure reasonable probationary periods for all transferees of at least six months. 

• Reform civil service rules and regulations to ensure that a previous test disqualification should prevent an individual from retaking a test for a period of time.

• Grant counties the authority to enact “continuous recruitment” options for correction officers. The state already has continuous recruitment for state correctional officers at DOCCS facilities.

As far as the status of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office is concerned, Bausch said the committee concluded that the agency is of “high quality” and is “not something that just happened, but has been built over a number of years and the current staff is keeping it going.”

“The problems that others are talking about, we did not find. Not that the Genesee County Sheriff's Office is perfect, but it’s well ahead of many others.”

Genesee County Manager Matt Landers this afternoon reported that Genesee County has the lowest seven-day positivity rate for COVID-19 in the Finger Lakes Region.

“It’s a nice feeling to have, a nice distinction to have at this point – especially given that just several weeks ago we were not only the worst positivity rate in the Finger Lakes Region, but we were competing for the worst in the state,” Landers said during the regular meeting of the County Legislature via Zoom videoconferencing. “It’s nice to see the turnaround and that our positivity rate is below 3 percent.”

He called it a “quick turnaround” and said it is due to “all the hard work we have been doing in this community in terms of messaging, distancing and the testing and the vaccination.”

On another front, he said the Genesee County Police Reform and Reinvention Draft Report has been posted on the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office page of the county’s website -- Welcome to County of Genesee.

He encouraged residents to look it over and provide feedback by sending an email to: county.manager@co.genesee.ny.us

“I’ve gotten some comments already and I welcome more,” he said.

The Genesee County Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative has set its next meeting for 6 p.m. Feb. 23 (via Zoom) -- not on the 22^nd as originally scheduled due to some members being unable to attend.

A resolution to accept the report is expected to be considered by the Public Service Committee on March 15, a couple weeks before it needs to be submitted to the New York State Office of Management and Budget.

In official action, the legislature:

• Voted in favor of accepting an $11,100 grant from the Rochester Area Community Foundation’s Muriel H. Marshall Fund to launch the CallHub pilot program for the county’s Office for the Aging.

To be utilized over the remainder of this year, the grant will allow the Office for the Aging to help people safely connect with phone calls going through CallHub, a secure web-based tool that makes communication between individuals and groups of people easier, quicker and safer through a designated phone number.

The resolution that was passed indicated that CallHub is an application that allows for improved program management for staff and volunteer-based programs, through mass messaging and real-time data collection and monthly reporting capabilities.

OFA Director Diana Fox said the office’s “safe” number appears on the caller ID, keeping the caller's personal number private.

“This is advantageous for volunteer-based programs and staff working remotely due to the pandemic,” she stated.

• Approved amendments pertaining to the payment schedule of 2021 contracts with The Mental Health Association of Genesee & Orleans Counties, Restoration Society, Living Opportunities of DePaul, Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, and Arc of Genesee Orleans.

Per New York State requirements, regular payments to these agencies should be paid quarterly, not monthly as the current contracts stipulate.

As a result of the legislation, quarterly payments will be as follows:

The Mental Health Association of Genesee & Orleans Counties, $95,142.75; Restoration Society, $71,113.50; Living Opportunities of DePaul, $11,201.25; GCASA, $387,668.25; Arc of Genesee Orleans, $10,436.25.

Landers said funds provided to these organizations are “pass-through” from the state.

“This is not what we traditionally consider outside agency funding,” he said. “When we refer to outside agency funding we refer to Genesee County taxpayer-supported funding for agencies such as the Holland Land Office or GO ART!”

Members of the Genesee County Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative on Monday night made a few edits to the preliminary report drafted by Robert Bausch, but the general consensus was that the committee moderator’s summary of what has been discussed over the past four months is right on target.

“I think I was really impressed and it’s well written," said John Keller, a pastor at Northgate Free Methodist Church. "There are a few constructive things but, truthfully, from my experience with this – from talking to people around town and at my church – there doesn’t seem to be a huge problem (surrounding the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office).” 

“We run the risk of, if we try to do too much, we’re putting the problem where there isn’t one. For the large part, the department is in great shape and it’s well run.”

Keller said he was pleased to see that the report included valid recommendations, especially the fact that the committee is calling for reform of the New York State Civil Service Commission.

“I would love to see some minority deputies,” he said. “I’m glad we’re addressing that, or trying to, through the Civil Service recommendations.”

Bausch’s report incorporates information shared and dialogue from the group’s nine meetings, prefaced with an overview of the sheriff’s office and then it's broken into four sections as mandated by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order 203 on community policing reform.

“Going back through all my notes, I did not come up, honestly, with a lot of strong recommendations – we know there are issues of training – but as finding weaknesses in the department or in their procedures (there were few and that can be attributed) to a certain degree being accredited by the state every five years,” Bausch said. “I just don’t find a lot that I can say that this is really a critical area that needs some TLC (tender loving care).”

According to the report, sheriff’s office was “open to the process and provided information in a timely manner,” believes that training is an ongoing process, adheres to NYS Municipal Police Training Council policies and standards, is highly qualified as indicated by its accreditation through the NYS Law Enforcement Agency Accreditation Council, and is an active member of the community-based Genesee County Criminal Justice Advisory Council.

Following is the report’s four categories, with some findings and recommendations:

What Functions Should Police Perform?

Findings:

The law enforcement agencies in Genesee County work very closely together and operated under the “closest car” concept to assist with the most-timely response.

The 9-1-1 Emergency Services Dispatch Center serves as the countywide Public Safety Answering Point.

All law enforcement agencies are represented at CJAC.

The Sheriff’s Office works closely with human services agencies in the county to address new and changing residents’ needs, has worked with Genesee County school superintendents and principals to achieve the assignment of a School Resource Officer (SRO) in its district and offers numerous outreach programs to identify and address societal issues.

The department oversees two unique programs -- the Justice for Children Advocacy Center and Genesee Justice, an alternative-to-incarceration and victims’ assistance program – and participates in the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative with other law enforcement agencies and the City of Batavia Fire Department.

Recommendations:

The report indicated that “major areas of concern” include mental health and substance abuse and that programs to address these issues need to be developed and expanded.

The committee recommends that mental health professionals should be available to assist the 9-1-1 Emergency Services Dispatch Center, road patrol officers, and the county jail, and that the obtaining the services of Genesee County Mental Health, Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse and others should be explored.

The report also noted the costs associated with expanded programs, noting that reallocation of funds is unlikely at the present time.

Employing Smart and Effective Policing Standards and Strategies

Findings:

The report gives high marks to the sheriff’s office, citing the importance of the agency having to follow strict standards as set forth by the NYS Law Enforcement Agency Accreditation Council.

As far as issues involving use of force, the committee found that over the past three years, there was an average of 10 use of force incidents per year. It also found no incidents relating to a lack of accountability on the part of sheriff’s office personnel.

Recommendations:

The committee urges the office to be “vigilant and prepared to address issues and citizen concerns” as they arise, particularly when it comes to interaction with underserved residents, whether individually or as a group.

It recommends the use of body cameras with proper training as a prerequisite, and calls for consistency and lack of bias in dealing with the public.  The report also recommends the adoption of a consumer hotline or citizen comment form so residents “can have a safe place to air grievances, comments, concerns or acknowledgements. These submissions will be reviewed by the command staff of the Sheriff’s Office in a culturally sensitive and timely manner.”

Fostering Community-Oriented Leadership, Culture and Accountability

Findings:

Calling this topic “the most challenging and most rewarding” for the office, the report said the agency is transparent and practical, and makes efforts to reach out to the community through programs such as School Resource Officers, tip lines, small community group meetings, and other civic events.

Since about 4 percent of the population have a preferred language other than English, this could pose a barrier for officers. To overcome this, the agency uses a certified interpretive service. Because of these services, those that have a preferred language other than English, now have access to a service that enables communication with the sheriff’s office.

Recommendations:

The committee recommends development of a comprehensive training plan that includes implicit bias, trauma informed care and vicarious trauma training, mental health, and state-mandated trainings, with the training plan to include what type of trainings, times, cost, attendees and frequency.

Transparency to the public and collaboration with local agencies and professional trainers should be a prerequisite to the process.

Recruiting and Supporting Excellent Personnel 

Findings:

Genesee County’s population consists of 92.9 percent white, 3.2 percent black, 3.5 percent Hispanic and 2 percent two or more races. When it comes to employment, the application process consists of passing a Civil Service exam, physical fitness exam, and an in-depth background check.

The report indicated that because Civil Service laws control most aspects of the employment process, there are limitations on what actions the department can take. “This is a huge obstacle and deters those from underserved populations from applying,” according to the report. 

Recommendations:

The committee believes the department should review its recruitment program and identify any programs or agencies available, such as the Genesee County Career Center or Veterans’ Outreach Program. It also recommends that the agency work with school superintendents, principals and officials at Genesee Community College to enhance its recruitment efforts – with a goal of more diversity in its hiring.

Another recommendation centers around having the Genesee County Legislature and county management take a more active role in supporting reforms to the Civil Service Commission.

Committee Suggests Some Revisions

At last night’s meeting, committee members offered several revisions to the draft, including mentioning something about the need for funding to support increased training, how the current Civil Service process is a barrier to diversity, urging state organizations such as the New York Conference of Mayors, New York State Association of Counties and Association of Towns to push for Civil Service reform, and pointing out the significance of the weeklong Sheriff’s Teen Academy at Byron-Bergen Central School as a community outreach.

Julie Carasone, a professional trainer, suggested collecting data on the types of crimes that are committed in Genesee County and to place that information in the Employing Smart and Effective Policing Standards and Strategies category.

County Manager Matt Landers emphasized that the committee should incorporate these changes and get the revised report out to the public via a press release, Facebook and other social media, including an email address where citizens can send their comments, possibly leading to another revision.

Bausch set the next meeting for 6 p.m. Feb. 22 for the consideration of public comments and adoption of the report that has to be submitted to the New York State Office of Management and Budget by April 1. A resolution to accept the report is expected to be considered by the Public Service Committee on March 15.

Can't Forget the Human Element

County Legislature Chair Rochelle Stein recognized those who elect to serve the community in law enforcement.

“I learned a lot (about) the training and accreditation process,” she said. “Also, every time that we have a new deputy sheriff that is sworn in or sent to training, it’s an incredible responsibility that the individual takes and the commitment that they make to our community.

“That, really, was an eye-opening process that I learned that everyone goes through together. I’m not sure that point has a place in here, but Bob you underscored that with your statement that training is not considering an event – it’s an ongoing process.”

Antiquated. Obsolete. Restrictive. Unfair.

Those were some of the adjectives used by members of the Genesee County Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative to describe the New York State Department of Civil Service during its meeting on Monday night via Zoom videoconferencing.

And, going beyond sharing their opinions of Civil Service, the committee agreed that now may be the “perfect opportunity” to reform the system that administers tests for government jobs.

“There has been a push throughout New York State for years now about reforming the Civil Service requirements and the testing procedures,” Sheriff William Sheron said, responding to a question from committee member Julie Carasone about changing the procedure to ensure more diversity in hiring. “I guess my best answer to that is to push on our state senator and assemblyman to try to change that or put pressure on New York State to change their Civil Service regulations.”

Sheron said he is speaking on behalf of administrators in various job sectors who are hamstrung by Civil Service’s restrictive guidelines.

“That you have to select from the top three individuals, to me, makes no sense in the world. I think there should be more of a test and interview process rather than a guarantee that if you’re in the top three – that we have to try to choose from the top three,” he said. “Many times, the individuals that you have to choose from are not satisfactory but it’s very difficult to get them removed from the list.”

The sheriff said it would take a unified front consisting of government, municipal and community leaders to put pressure on Albany, noting that “it’s definitely time for some type of Civil Service reform.”

Committee Member Gregory Post, who is the Batavia Town supervisor, said it was his belief that Civil Service “hasn’t had a total rehab since Teddy Roosevelt was president.”

Post: Collaboration Can Make a Difference

“But, that being said, this is the perfect opportunity now because there has always been, in my 45 years in the public sector, one component -- which is generally the employers or the management side petitioning the governor and Albany and some of the more partisan politicians on the east and Downstate to amend Civil Service policies to address our reality.”

“This opportunity that has been presented to us in the past year, I think for the first time in several decades, empowers this organization to ally with the constituents and in a combined manner (with) all parties involved …working collaboratively. It shouldn’t just be county officials and legislators. They’ve been asking for this for a hundred years.”

Post said he would like to see a partnership involving “constituents who are most impacted and most benefitted from this change, and the only way we can do that is to involve them and engage them, and I think we need to invite the press to be participatory in that. … Being in the top three has not served us as well as trusting our instincts and giving people a chance that otherwise wouldn’t have one.”

Sheron noted that a deputy sheriff’s position is opening soon and said his plan is to get the notice out to the public as quickly as possible, working with Human Resources to reach the minority communities. He also said he is enlisting the services of the Genesee County Career Center to help those interested in taking the test, including resume preparation and interviewing techniques.

Sheron and County Manager Matt Landers concurred that the county’s ability – or inability -- to find worthy minority candidates for law enforcement and other positions has been a stumbling block.

“I think the starting point for us is to trying to go down the avenue of getting the word out about our test coming up and providing individuals the education and the tools to be able to be successful in taking the tests,” Sheron said, adding that only a few members of the minority community have taken the deputy sheriff’s test and even fewer have passed it.

Landers: We Can Do Better

Landers said finding a path to change Civil Service would be a major challenge, considering the bureaucracy involved, but emphasized that he didn’t want to downplay the effort to reform it.

“But at the same time, we can’t lose sight of the fact that we can do better with our recruitment and advertising efforts,” he said, “I think that’s something that we control in our own hands that we don’t need outside help with. We can try to reach out to segments of our population and do a better job of education and better job of notification.

“We can change the rules all we want -- from (the top) three to five to 100 – but if we don’t get diversity in people in taking the test, then it doesn’t do any good at all.”

Landers also criticized the time gap in the Civil Service process, noting that it sometime takes up to year to fill the position after the taking of the test.

“The way Civil Service works – it’s kind of a unique situation – a person signs up for a test, it’s taken three months later and the results come out three months later – where an opportunity might open up six months later,” he advised. “It’s such an antiquate process, in general, that it’s kind of like a secret in some ways that people have to be planning way ahead.”

As far as reaching the minority population, he suggested that the sheriff reach out to groups such as Just Kings in the City of Batavia to “spread the word and that might have more of an immediate effect.”

Sheron: Let's Put it in the Report

While Genesee County ramps up its effort to reach a more diverse audience, Sheron said it is important that this committee include its evaluation of the Civil Service process in the report it will send to New York State by April 1.

“We recognize that there are problems with Civil Service and should incorporate it right into our report to the state,” he said.

Post agreed, adding that the chance to see a change would be possible “if we can get 5 percent (of Genesee County residents) to support some kind of petition to address this as a vital component of what they’re asking us to do here. We need to strike while the iron is hot … as the whole system is corrupt and obsolete.”

County Legislature Chair Rochelle Stein said she supports moving on this immediately.

“Right now is the time, with the leadership in Albany, to grab a hold of this and update the entire process of Civil Service,” she said.

Committee member Gary Maha, former Genesee County sheriff, said Civil Service would be a “very difficult nut to crack” and called upon the New York State Association of Counties, Conference of Mayors, county managers and city managers … “to get the attention of our (state) legislature.”

Sheron and Undersheriff Brad Mazur opened the meeting by presenting an outline of three areas mentioned in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order on police reform – Violence Prevention & Reduction Intervention, Model Policies and Guidelines Promulgated by the NYS Municipal Police Training Council, and Standards Promulgated by the NYS Law Enforcement Accreditation Program.

• Violence Prevention & Intervention

This involves removing or reducing underlying causes and risk factors, such as alcohol abuse, drug abuse, gang activity, illegal weapons possession and domestic conflicts.

The sheriff’s office currently works with professionals from several sectors in this effort, including the YWCA, Genesee County Mental Health, Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, school resource officers, Crisis Intervention Team, PAARI (Public Safety Assisted Addiction and Recover Initiative), Independent Living Continuum of Care and Criminal Justice Advisory Council.

• Model Policies & Guidelines

The sheriff’s office follows Municipal Police Training Committee (MPTC) model policy – as well as policies of other accredited law enforcement agencies -- in various aspects of police operation.

Not every model policy is suited to adoption by every agency, Sheron said. Many agencies develop their own policies and procedures by studying model policies from many sources, and by studying actual policies being successfully used by other law enforcement agencies around the country.

• Standards Promulgated by the NYS Accreditation

The Genesee County Sheriff’s Department has been an accredited agency with the New York State Law Enforcement Agency Accreditation Council (LEAAC) since 2000, and currently is accredited through November 2025.

The sheriff's office has developed a Citizen Comment Form for positive comments, as well as legitimate concerns and/or constructive criticism, regarding the Sheriff’s Office or Sheriff’s personnel. 

The next meeting of the Genesee County Police Reform Collaborative is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Jan. 19.

As the Genesee County Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative checks off the items it needs to cover per Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order 203 on community policing, Sheriff William Sheron is taking it a step further by adding increased community input to the list.

Sheron addressed three more topics mandated in the executive order during Monday night’s Zoom videoconference meeting – hot spot policing, focused deterrence and crime prevention through environmental design – but also spoke at length about his department’s need to connect with the public.

“One of the things that needs to come out of this project is to develop a program to meet on a regular basis with the citizens of our county to identify their concerns about criminal activity,” Sheron said.

During the 40-minute meeting, the sheriff outlined several areas that could be improved by regular communication with government and civic leaders as well as residents.

• Annual Crime Statistics Report

Sheron said the plan is to put out a report within the next few months for 2020, detailing the types of crimes by town.

“I think it is very important that we get that out there so the citizens have a clear understanding of what the community is like, what kind of crimes that we are investigating. It’s transparency and I hope to resurrect that for 2020.”

• Regular Town Hall Meetings

Sheron said he looks to meet with community leaders and citizens to find what areas the community would like officers to focus on.

“We don’t formally hold meetings, but again that is an area of improvement. Typically, (we connect through) phone calls, emails, posting on our Facebook page or web page.”

• Speaking at Town & Village Board Meetings

Sheron said he hopes to contact town and village boards to have a spot on their meeting agendas to let them know what activities that are going on in their communities and to get some feedback and suggestions.

“That is something that I would include in the report (to the state by April 1) as that’s an area where we can improve,” he noted.

• Promoting the Tipline ((585) 343-3020) and a Webpage Link for Suggestions

The sheriff said the department receives calls on a regular basis about drug activity and other crimes, but agreed that it needs to be reinforced through public service announcements and other initiatives.

He also said that prior to the next committee meeting on Jan. 4, a link will be added to the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department website that citizens may utilize to submit comments, suggestions, complaints, etc., directly to the agency.

“I think that’s a great idea,” he said. “(Now, we really don’t have an area for suggestions and complaints. We will have a link on there for citizens to ask questions and provide information – good, bad and indifferent – and then we can follow up on that.”

HOT SPOT POLICING

Sheron defined hot spot policing as identifying and analyzing specific crime problems and locations and targeting resources toward solving those problems.

“We’re a little bit different in that we cover mostly a rural area opposed to an urban area, so our hot spot policing usually gets developed from citizen complaints – many to do with drug activity, a lot of vehicle and traffic complaints, or that we may be seeing an increase of burglaries or so forth,” he said.

Tools used in this regard, he said, including the Genesee County Drug Task Force (in conjunction with the other county police agencies), confidential informants, the City of Batavia Neighborhood and Enforcement Team, Police Traffic Safety grants, STOP-DWI, Monroe Crime Analysis Center and dedicated patrols in areas of potentially high drug, theft and traffic activity.

“We also have a patrol assigned to a 'hot spot' which is the core detail – Veterans Memorial (Drive) and that area with all the big box stores … where there is tremendous amount of traffic and considerable amount of theft in that area,” he offered.

“Again, this is much different than what you would see in an urban area like Rochester or Buffalo, where they have concentrations on violent crimes, shootings. We don’t have that in this area, thank God, but we do have ‘hot spot’ policing for specific situations."

FOCUSED DETERRENCE

Focused deterrence is a crime-reduction strategy, which aims to deter crime by increasing the swiftness, severity and certainty of punishment, usually directed at a specific crime problem such as gun violence, and primarily administered through prosecution and the courts, Sheron said.

Initiatives utilized in this area include KOPER Patrol, officers assigned to specific areas of suspected criminal activity; cooperation with the district attorney’s office, and the Genesee County Drug Task Force.

“Over the years, county court judges have been harsh with their punishment -- very stern with their sentences – and it sends a message clearly to those individuals that are coming in from outside this area to deal drugs in our communities,” he said.

CRIME PREVENTION/ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN

The sheriff explained that attention to environmental design can help to increase the probability that an offender will be caught. Studies show that increased probability of capture tends to deter the commission of crime.

Examples of crime prevention through environmental design would be better lighting in crime-prone areas, conspicuous placement of security cameras with attendant conspicuous signage, elimination of shrubbery where it could serve as a hiding place for an attacker, etc.

In Genesee County, the Sheriff’s Office works with businesses, schools and individuals on crime prevention and personal safety issues; employs Civilian Response to Active Shooter Training, Neighborhood Watch, school resource officers, information about scams against the public, compliance checks at establishments that sell or serve alcohol and responsible server training.

He mentioned that cooperation among all law enforcement agencies in Genesee County goes a long way in the success of these programs.

“We do have a tremendous sharing of information and cooperation between the city and county,” Sheron said. “Genesee County as a whole … I don’t know if I’ve ever seen the cooperation as good as it is now.”

The path to cultural competence, an attribute that is increasingly important in police/community relations, starts with an understanding of others’ life experiences, according to Julie Carasone, a certified instructor in areas designed to bridge societal gaps and foster civic unity.

Speaking at the Genesee County Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative meeting on Monday night via Zoom videoconferencing, Carasone said her role is to get people to “think outside of the box and think about things other than your world.”

“… Understand that your lived experiences are different from my lived experiences and that’s OK, but understand where someone is trying to come from when they interact maybe with the police department, when they interact with mental health or with somebody at GCASA (Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse),” she said.

Carasone took about 20 minutes to present implicit bias awareness training to the committee, which is convening on a regular basis in response to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order 203 mandating that municipal police agencies adopt policies and procedures that ensure racial equality.

While acknowledging people’s sensitivity to the subject, Carasone emphasized that everyone has some type of implicit bias – thoughts and tendencies developed over a lifetime.

She said that implicit biases are activated involuntarily.

“Our brain is hardwired to take little bits and pieces, and that forms our biases,” she said. “It can be favorable bias, such as toward our military, and sometimes police officers, but nowadays it’s sometimes not favorable.”

MEDIA IS CRAFTING THE NARRATIVE

She said that currently the media is dominating the narrative and reinforcing people’s associations.

“This is the biggest thing right now – media -- both social media and regular print media or TV,” she said. “Sometimes the news organizations get the most ignorant person that’s out there and they’ll put them on TV, and that causes our biases toward someone.”

Calling it “confirmation bias,” Carasone said this causes the brain to favor information that conforms to a person’s existing beliefs and discounts evidence that does not conform.

“(Whether it’s) FOX News or CNN or a certain newspaper, or pro-life, pro-choice, pro-gun or anti-gun, they (people) will seek out information that confirms those biases,” she said.

Carasone said that steps to overcome implicit biases include:

• Check your Blind Spot: We all have implicit bias. Refusing to acknowledge or accept that you have bias creates a blind spot.  

• Play Devil’s Advocate: Seek out information that would contradict your initial thoughts. Listen to others that have a different lived experiences than you.

• Avoid the Ostrich Effect: It can be uncomfortable to talk about unpleasant facts that drive negative emotions. Don’t let your discomfort cause you to stick your head in the sand.

• Opinion vs. Fact: When you are stuck in a disagreement with someone, avoid opinions and use facts -- fair, data-driven information.  Remember “Your opinion is not fact.”

WORDS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

She also said the words that people use indicate how people look at others, and suggested replacing “addict” with “individual with a substance use disorder” or “criminal” with “justice involved individual.”

On the latter, Carasone said that 4 percent of the people in jail or prison are innocent.

“And that’s just the people that we know,” she added.

Carasone said that implicit bias does not equal racism but, when applied to a group of people, it becomes the foundation of racism.

She said racism is evident at different levels – individual, institutional and structural – and can be directed at a person’s gender, race, religion or economic status.

Policies, practices and procedures that make discriminate against certain classes of people – “usually what we call redlining,” Carasone said – can be mitigated, but it takes a commitment from both individuals and organizations to effect positive change.

“How can your organization mitigate implicit biases in your services in staffing and polices?” she asked. “Become culturally competent. Make policy and procedural changes that will provide equity for the underserved population.”

“That means taking a big look at what we’re doing right now, and looking at your strategic plan. What are your strengths and what are your barriers and your weaknesses that need to be improved upon?”

Carasone defined cultural competence as the ability to understand, communicate with and effectively interact with people across cultures.

MANY LAYERS WHEN IT COMES TO CULTURE

“Culture is like an iceberg. You have the top part where you can see on the outside – our clothes, our language, and so forth -- and the things that we don’t see,” such as background, talents, likes, dislikes, traditions, she said.

Using herself as an example, she mentioned that she is from a military family, that she lived in poverty and below poverty and, “me opening up, you can’t tell that I had a mental illness as well. So, there are a lot more layers that you can’t see underneath.”

She promoted a brainstorming exercise that focuses on cultural awareness, knowledge and sensitivity, and emphasized the many benefits of cultural competence, such as building healthier families and communities, and increasing productivity and revenue at all the levels of commerce.

Carasone said plans call for her to provide implicit bias awareness training – on a volunteer basis -- to all Genesee County Sheriff’s Department personnel as well as to the City of Batavia Police Department and Wyoming County Sheriff’s Department.

In response to a question from committee members about language barriers, Undersheriff Brad Mazur said the sheriff’s department recognizes contracts with a company that provides an 800 number through dispatch to provide translation when necessary, such as in traffic stops, criminal proceedings and emergency situations.

Carasone said it is preferable to get a live interpreter on the line instead of using an online application (app) due to the fact that some words may not be translated correctly. She said interpreters are trained extensively to properly interact in these situations and also have received cultural competence education.

Implicit bias is, according to dictionary.com, a predisposition that results from the tendency to process information based on unconscious associations and feelings, even when these are contrary to one’s conscious or declared beliefs.

That concept has been widely discussed and analyzed in recent weeks in the context of social justice and policing, and it came up tonight during a meeting of the Genesee County Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative via Zoom videoconferencing.

Laura Williams, a Social Studies teacher at Elba Central School and committee member, asked Sheriff William Sheron if his department is doing anything to address implicit bias.

“As part of being a teacher, I feel like I have very open blinders and I have for many years, and since March, I have been doing a lot of reading about this movement of Black Lives Matter and police force … (and) one thing that I dove very deep into is this notion of implicit bias and it really opened my eyes, even though I thought my eyes were very open about this notion of implicit bias,” Williams said.

“Is there any more training that you’re doing with your staff and everybody in your department to revisit again this idea that we all have this bias and we all need to reimagine everything the way that we address every single issue that we’re handling?”

Sheron, after noting that Julie Carasone, another committee member, did a presentation for county management people on bias, said that “is an area where we could definitely use more training.”

Mandatory Training in the Works

“The officers do receive training in the basic academy … and there’s really not much follow-up to it. So, we have mentioned that as one of the things – and I am sure the Division of Criminal Justice Services, through the Municipal Police Training Council, is going to make that a mandatory in-service training, probably on an annual basis,” he said. “It’s absolutely an area we need to focus on as we move forward.”

He then mentioned systematic racial bias, stating that although he had no studies specific to Genesee County to report, he didn’t think his agency has the “degree of issues that maybe your inner city or your larger city departments have.”

“I think that not only the Sheriff’s Office but the Batavia PD, Le Roy PD – we’re very well supervised and scrutinized, and quite frankly, officers don’t put up with that.”

Still, he said he believes that increased awareness and education regarding implicit and racial bias should be part of ongoing in-service training.

Williams commended Sheron on running a department that has taken steps to foster community relationships.

“I have been having those conversations with friends of mine in Le Roy and in Elba, where I work, that the reason that it is so difficult for many of us in Genesee County to grasp the conflicts going on across the country is because, I think, we really don’t have this enormous issue with our police force and our Sheriff’s department,” she offered.

Very Few Complaints Against Officers

Sheron said he has received very few – “seven or eight this year,” he said – complaints about officer behavior and very few, if any, about excessive force.

On interaction with the public, he acknowledged that there is always room for improvement.

“Some officers have a very good demeanor with the public; some officers can use improvement,” he said. “Again, it’s give-and-take. You give respect; you get respect. But even if you don’t get that respect, you (police officer) still have to be professional and just do your job.”

He said complaints are dealt with immediately.

“We have a complaint form that is given to the individual to file a complaint and we start looking at the body cam video right away. We do not accept performance by an officer that is less than par,” he said.

Rachel Gelabale, international student at GCC and committee member, asked about the Sheriff’s Office’s interaction with the community through activities and events, particularly a shopping day with kids around the Christmas season.

“Yes, we do. That’s called Shop with the Cop,” Sheron said. “We’ve always hooked up with Walmart to do that for the kids. Unfortunately, from what I’m being told, this year Walmart will not be taking part in that.

Program for Needy Kids is on 'Target'

“However, Target has a program that they have started, called Stuff the Cruiser, and each of the police agencies here in Genesee County will have a patrol vehicle out in front of Target and individuals can buy toys and so forth for the needy here in the county and we will distribute them.”

Tonight’s meeting also touched upon de-escalation training and practices, and law enforcement assisted diversion programs.

Sheron said his department doesn’t have a de-escalation policy, but refers to guidelines in the use of force policy.

“I believe the DCJS and MPTC is going to come out with a mandatory in-service training for a year,” he said. “We do go through a use of force training every year in conjunction with our firearms training.”

The ability of deputies on road patrol to bring a situation under control is vital to successful police work, Sheron said.

“Genesee County is very rural and our patrols are spread thin. It’s well known and accepted by our officers out there on the street that they better be able to de-escalate because their backup may be 15 to 20 minutes away. And they’re very good at it,” he said. “I always say you’re going to do more with your mouth than you’ll do with your fist. They need to talk. They need to communicate with people.”

He said his agency will be forming a de-escalation policy after receiving a model policy from New York State.

“As an accredited agency, it’s much easier to follow exactly what they want us to do and the boilerplate they give us to work with than to try and reinvent the wheel,” he said.

A Model for Restorative Justice

Genesee Justice has been a model for restorative justice and diversion for many years, and continues to play a huge role in the community, said Catherine Uhly, the agency’s director.

Uhly outlined through PowerPoint slides the various components of the program that utilizes community sectors to ensure that the victim is heard and the offender has a chance to make amends, in most cases, without being incarcerated.

“You’re giving the voice to the victim, you’re giving the offender some accountability for what they have done, but you’re also giving them some competency development,” she said. “Our program is not just punishment … go to jail and you get out. Our programs try to develop some competency in the offender so they go on in their lives and do not recommit crimes. And encompassing it all is community safety.”

Uhly said Genesee Justice currently is working with 439 victims, including a large group affected by a breach-of-services case of a local funeral home director.

Genesee Justice also is working with 127 people in the DWI Conditional Discharge program for first-time offenders, 60 people in the Released Under Supervision and another 25 in the Pre-Trial Release programs (both alternatives to jail time) and 49 people in Ignition Interlock Supervision that aren’t part of DWI Conditional Discharge.

Community service is a longstanding part of Genesee Justice, with 165 offenders -- including those in the DWI Conditional Discharge track -- currently performing volunteer hours at nonprofit organizations throughout the county.

Uhly said GJ has a “high success rate” when it comes to those not violating while under supervision, but she did not have statistics on the rate of re-offending after completing the program.

When moderator Robert Bausch asked for some suggestions about how police officers can improve community relations, the subject of school resource officers came up.

SROs Forging Positive Relationships

“I think that is one of the big things with the SRO program,” Sheron said. “The relationships that we have made in the schools … sometimes you have to lay the law down, but more often than not, the relationships that we have made with the children are just phenomenal.

“They look up to the police officers again and they recognize that we are human beings and that we have families, too, and that we have made mistakes in our lives – and there’s really nothing we can’t get through if we all work together.”

He said all schools except Elba have SROs, and he speculated that cost could be a contributing factor in that district’s decision to not have one.

That prompted Williams to express her opinion on the matter.

“I work at that school and I think that that is part of it, but I also think that there’s a whole other aspect that’s sort of along the lines of what we are talking about here,” she said. “I think there are two methods of approaching this and bridging the gap between officers and, in this case, kids.

“… I think there’s a whole other audience we need to tap into as well. I think that there are some people who are hesitant to bring officers into a building for fear of scaring kids rather than acclimating kids to the positives that can come out of having an officer more directly in their lives. I’d be willing to help you with that.”

Sheron said he would appreciate any help.

“What you said, yes, I have heard that,” he said. “I was hoping that the SRO pretty much sells itself -- once you get the officer in there and they see what a good service it is, and how much the kids really enjoy it. And there’s the safety factor also.”

The group’s next meeting is scheduled for Dec. 7, with discussion expected to revolve around restorative justice practices, community-based outreach and conflict resolution, and problem-oriented policing.

Genesee County leaders are advocating a spirit of togetherness as they take a divide-and-conquer approach to fulfilling the requirements of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order No. 203 on community police reform and reinvention.

On Wednesday night at the Old County Courthouse legislative chambers, the Genesee County Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative met for the first time, with 15 of the group’s 19 current members attending either in person or via Zoom videoconferencing.

County Legislature Chair Rochelle Stein put out a call for unity and respect as she welcomed those who are tasked to address the policies and procedures of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office per the Executive Order issued on June 12.

“Together … we have an opportunity to learn from each other … to improve and manage public safety … through thoughtful, respectful and robust discussions,” Stein said. “Step by step by step, we will do this together.”

Stein emphasized that each member of the committee – from public officials to representatives of social or minority groups -- was important to meeting the governor’s directive.

“Each community must envision for itself the appropriate role of the police,” she said, “and policies must be developed to allow the police to do their jobs to protect the public and the policies must be with the local community’s acceptance.”

Following her opening statement, Stein introduced Robert Bausch, former County Legislature chair, who will serve as moderator for the group. After that, the committee members who were social-distanced throughout the room said a few words about themselves.

County Manager Matt Landers then read highlights of the Executive Order, focusing on the section that outlines the 15 different policing strategies that must be analyzed by Sheriff William Sheron and the community stakeholders.

Landers distributed a 10-meeting timeline (on Monday nights at 6:30), with five of those meetings dedicated to reviewing those 15 strategies as follows:

• Nov. 2 – Use of force policies, procedural justice, any studies addressing systemic racial bias or racial justice in policing;

• Nov. 16 -- Implicit bias awareness training, de-escalation training and practices, law enforcement assisted diversion programs;

• Dec. 7 -- Restorative justice practices, community-based outreach and conflict resolution, problem-oriented policing;

• Dec. 21 -- Hot spots policing, focused deterrence, crime prevention through environmental design;

• Jan. 4 -- Violence prevention and reduction interventions; model policies and guidelines promulgated by the New York State Municipal Police Training Council; standards promulgated by the New York State Law Enforcement Accreditation Program.

Sheron is scheduled to give a report on his department to legislators and the committee during a regular meeting of the legislature on Oct. 28, and will answer questions afterward.

Last night, the sheriff pointed out that the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office recently was reaccredited by New York State, which means that the agency has met or exceeded 133 standards as set forth by the state. The department was initially accredited in 2000.

Accreditation aside, Sheron said he would appreciate members' input, adding that "constructive criticism" is a vehicle "to making it better for our citizens."

The remainder of the collaborative’s meeting timeline indicates: a review of the draft report on Jan. 18; presentation of the draft to the public for feedback on Feb. 1; review and vote on the final report on Feb. 15; submission to the county Ways & Means Committee on March 3; adoption by the full county legislature on March 10; and delivery to the state Division of the Budget prior to April 1.

The Executive Order stipulates that the reform plan must be submitted to the state by April 1 or else it could jeopardize the locality’s state aid.

Landers said that the timeline isn’t etched in stone and that he is open to adding to the group’s number, especially if the interested person represents “another perspective or opinion.”

He added that the county’s Information Technology staff will be recording the meetings and the public is invited to attend in person (adhering to COVID-19 guidelines) or via Zoom.

Members present at last night’s meeting -- along with Landers, Stein and Sheron -- were:

• Community members Julie Carasone, Perez Dinkins, Barb Starowitz, Tyrone Woods; Genesee Community College international student Rachel Gelabale;

• Nonprofit community group member Lynda Battaglia, Genesee County Community Mental Health Services;

• Faith-based leader John Keller, Northgate Free Methodist Church;

• Educational group member Rachel Siebert, Genesee Valley BOCES;

• Local elected official Gregory Post, Town of Batavia supervisor; Genesee County Public Defender Jerry Ader;

• Genesee County District Attorney Lawrence Friedman;

• Genesee County Sheriff’s Department Officer Howard Carlson.

Other members (who did not attend) are community member Leandro Mateos; John Bennett, Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse; Millie Tomidy-Pepper, YWCA of Genesee County; and Genesee County Undersheriff Bradley Mazur.

The collaborative includes several persons of color and a cross section of people who have deeper views of societal issues through their interaction with minorities in their fields of employment, such as farm ownership, social and mental health services, substance use counseling, pastoral guidance, cultural competence and athletics.

Photo: The first meeting of the Genesee County Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative took place Wednesday night at the Old County Courthouse. Photo by Mike Pettinella.