DEWITT – As required by the state, the town of DeWitt has undergone a lengthy review of its policies and procedures regarding policing and has developed a police reform plan. DeWitt residents will have an opportunity to comment on the plan at the March 8 meeting of the town board.
The plan was compiled by the Town of DeWitt Police Commission, which is made up of three elected officials and 11 community residents.
Among the features of the plan:
– The town has purchased body worn cameras for each police officer in the patrol division. This initiative started before the state executive order. “The response plan has only served to reaffirm the commitment of the Town of DeWitt Police to this practice,” the plan states.
– A number of policies have been reviewed and/or amended, including policies related to the use of physical force, the use of deadly force, taser handling and deployment, pursuit operations, mental illness incidents and employee identification.
– The plan designates crisis intervention training and implicit bias training as areas of focus moving forward. Crisis intervention training is intended to “enhance the way law enforcement and the community respond to people experiencing a mental health crisis.”
To date, 12 officers have completed crisis intervention training and the plan requires that all officers complete this training within three years.
The town also mandates having all officers complete online and in-person instruction on implicit bias “to both improve verbal and nonverbal communication and overcome maladaptive bias.”
– The department implemented a new system last year to track citizen interactions with law enforcement which “will allow the department to conduct a more thorough and accurate review to ensure that there are no biased practices in place either at the departmental or individual level.”
– The town has entered into an agreement with Liberty Resources to provide mobile responses to mental health and addiction crisis.
The full text of the plan is available at townofdewitt.com and the public can comment on the plan by emailing [email protected]. The March 8 meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. and is available on Zoom, which can be accessed through the town’s website.
In accordance with the state’s executive order, the town board must adopt a plan by April 1.
