The New Paltz Town Board approved a police reform proposal on April 1st with little public participation on issues of substance during the 10-month process.   The report does not reflect the recommendations of Black Lives Matter and the Movement for Black Lives.  The report’s recommendations will dramatically increase the current police budget of $2.8 million plus fringe benefits (2019) in our town which has low crime and is overpoliced. The recommendations include additional personnel, higher salaries, increased technology and training.  These expenses will be on top of already approved funding for $10,000 in more bullets, 2 new police cruisers and a new police station. This is excessive for our town budget and it will not lead to the elimination of the root causes of community harm. 

The report dismissed divesting from policing and reinvesting in community services, designed to alleviate racial inequities.  The reasons offered are not supported by data.  Instead, half of their recommendations involve training which can alter awareness and attitudes but has been shown not to change police behaviors. Thus training in antiracism and de-escalation have to be part of a larger set of structural transformations in order to truly reduce police violence.   While the report claims to promote antiracism in policing and in the community, it ignores the systemic causes and the recommendations don’t do enough to create accountability and community wellbeing.  

We, the undersigned, consistent with Black Lives Matter and the Movement for Black Lives, demand that the New Paltz Town Board:  

- Divest from the runaway police budget by 25% via police attrition.
- Reinvest and prioritize resources in community safety and wellbeing.
- Reinforce police accountability by establishing an independent police commission that goes beyond what is in the adopted plan.  It must have meaningful power, and be composed of individuals who are self-selected from the communities who are most affected by the police behavior and/or who have a demonstrated history of working on police racism.  
- Provide community access to relevant policing data.
- Recognize a process of community shared decision-making to meet these demands.