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Village Of Cambridge NY

Cambridge, New York Police Department

Reform and Reinvention Collaborative

Cambridge Greenwich Police Badge

Sergeant Robert Danko

June 2020 - April 2021

Cambridge-Greenwich Collaborative Police Reform Committee Releases Its Recommendations

The Collaborative Committee for the Villages of Cambridge and Greenwich have completed their work on the recommendations for changes in our policies. The committee is releasing their plan to the public in order to give residents a chance to weigh in and respond to the plan.

Residents of both Villages are invited to read and respond to these recommendations, and to send their comments and thoughts, by Monday, March 22.

Responses may be sent via email to the following addresses. Please indicate if you are a Village resident.

Cambridge residents: reform@cambridgeny.gov
Greenwich residents: greenwichpdreform@gmail.com

READ THE PLAN

STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS

REFORM AND REINVENTION COLLABORATIVE


In June of 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed Executive Order Number 203, instructing all police agencies as defined by New York State law, to conduct reviews aimed at reform and reinvention. These reviews are to be in collaboration with stakeholders drawn from the community to which each agency provides primary police services. The Governor further defined specific groups within each community which must be represented amongst the community stakeholders.

In accordance with this order, the Cambridge Police Department (CPD) has been conducting a comprehensive review of its policies, procedures, training, community programs, and methods which is in addition to the standard agency review conducted each year as part of standard protocol. This review employs evidenced based policing strategies as defined by the State in the executive order as well as in their New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative Guidebook. Said strategies have been developed further during this review based upon the ongoing research and through information gained from experts in the field organized by New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.

To assist with instituting the plan our office has developed a survey which will be distributed to residents in each Village by the elected Mayor. The following information will be helpful to those completing the survey. 

Please take a moment to review the following information prior to completing the survey.

Overview of Executive Order #203


Pursuant to Governor Cuomo’s June 20, 2020 Executive Order No. 203, my office is currently undertaking a comprehensive examination of its policies, procedures and training concerning all aspects of evidence-based policing strategies.

The 139-page Executive Order regarding stakeholders can be broken into five requirements:

The Chief Executive of the municipality shall:
  1. "Convene" stakeholders.
  2. The stakeholders must be "consulted" and must include non-profit, faith based, District Attorney, Public Defender, elected officials and community/business members.
  3. After the stakeholders are consulted, the local government shall develop a plan resulting from its review.
  4. The plan must be submitted for public comment.
  5. After public comment, the plan should be adopted by resolution of the village  government.

See The Survey Results

STAKEHOLDERS

Police Department

Officer Brundage
Officer Teftt

Village of Cambridge Public Safety

Sergeant  Danko


Village of Cambridge Elected Officials

Mayor Bogle
Trustee Walsh

Washington County District Attorney
Tony Jordan, Esq.

Faith Based

St Patrick's Church- Sue Preece

Non-Profit

Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry - Pastor Jim Bartholomew
Cambridge Central School - Ralph Harrington
Cambridge Valley Rescue Squad - Adrienne Hamilton


Business/ Community

Country Gals cafe- Todd Akin
The Bog- Mark Harwood
Jordan Williams
Naiomi Marsh
Tracy Schneider
Jim Cramer

TIME LINE/ ACTION PLAN

Cambridge NY Police Department Reinvention Timeline

POLICY

Deployment

How and where our Officers are deployed:
  • The Village of Cambridge patrols are accompanied by Washington County Sheriff's Office along with New York State Police.
  • Officers are based out of our main office in Cambridge and our partner community, Greenwich. Patrol Posts are assigned to Officers at the start of each shift and they are responsible for answering calls for service and patrolling the designated area.
  • Policing Strategy - Our reason for deploying our resources where and how we do so is based on calls for service, vehicle traffic, and prior criminal activities in certain areas of the Village.

Use of Force By Village Officers

Use of Force by members of the Village Police Department is governed by agency policy and state law including Article 35 of the NYS Penal law.
  • CPD procedures require members to file agency use of force reports following use of force incidents and all incidents, both law enforcement and corrections, are reviewed for compliance by a shift supervisor, and command staff.
  • CPD use of force policy is being updated pursuant to Governor Cuomo’s criminal justice reforms.
  • Changes included newly updated NYS MPTC sample policy, including new definitions and guidelines.
  • New mandated reporting protocols where use of force is reported to NYS DCJS to allow for more data tracking.

Community Policing

Our “Community First” motto and approach has been an asset to the Cambridge Police Department. The primary goal is to strengthen the relationship between the Police Department and the citizens of the communities that we serve.


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Community Engagement


  • ​​​​​Heroin Summit
  • High School Sporting Events
  • Operation Santa Toy Drive
  • Police Department Food Drive
  • ​​​​​​​Cambridge Balloon Festival

TRAINING

Anti-Bias Awareness

  • Anti bias is the subconscious association regarding certain groups of people and the belief that those groups behave in a particular way.
  • Anti Bias Policing Training Parts 1 & 2 is provided to all sworn Police Officers through the Village's Insurance provider, NYMIR. 
  • Members of the public must feel that police in their area are acting, and reacting, in a fair and impartial manner, regardless of race, age, gender, socioeconomic status, etc. For there to be that trust, Police Officers must exhibit fairness during each encounter with members of the public. This represents just a start to more unbiased way of thinking, reacting, and ultimately, effective policing.

De-Escalation And Communications


  • Training with a focus on de-escalation techniques as a method of prevention. Communication is a key factor in the ability to de-escalate any situation.
  • De-escalation Training is given to all sworn Police Officers.
  • The Police Department recognizes that de-escalation training provides officers with an organized way to make decisions about how they will act in a given situation to prevent escalation and resolve conflict.
  • We teach and stress:
    • ​​​​​​​Self Control
    • Effective Communication
    • Scene Assessment and Management
    • Force Options

Mental Health/ Substance Abuse

  • Training with a focus on emotionally disturbed persons, substance abuse as well as those with autism has been and will continue to be provided to all Sworn Officers. This training was provided through the Justice Center.
  • All uniformed members have received training regarding substance abuse and are equipped with and have been trained in the use of NARCAN.

Crisis Intervention


  • Members receive Crisis Intervention Team training through the NYS Law Enforcement Assistance Program.
  • The Police Department also has members specially trained with Post Critical Incident Training to deal with those involved in traumatic events. 

REQUIREMENTS

Procedural Justice. Studies Addressing Systemic Racial Bias or Racial Justice in Policing

  • Per NYS Municipal Police Training Council requirements, the academy instructs all new hires in the topic of Professional Justice and police legitimacy and recognizes their essential role in establishing a positive relationship with the community.
  • Instruction is based around 4 pillars of procedural justice:
    • Give others a voice
    • Exercise neutrality in decision making
    • Treat others with respect
    • Foster a sense of trustworthiness and earn the trust of the community

Demographics

  • Demographic studies using available search criteria in our current agency systems were conducted to check for patterns of inequality in arrests or police contacts.

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design

  • The Police Department conducts property checks throughout the Village.
  • The Police Department co-ordinates with WaCo Sheriff, NYS Police, and other law enforcement agencies for the purpose of enhanced Public safety.

Transparent Citizen Complaint Disposition Procedure



  • Contact information for the Administrative Office is listed on the Village of Cambridge websites.
  • Email addresses for all sworn Officers are available at https://CambridgeNY.gov/Police for public use to submit complaints or praise.

See The Survey Results

ARREST DATA

Arrest Charge Totals for 2020 


Warrants: 8 
Local Law Violations: 1 
Driving While Ability Impaired: 3 
Behavior Health: 15 
Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a MV: 29 
Assaults: 1 
Suspended Registration: 3 
Menacing: 1 
Stalking: 1 
Unlawful Imprisonment: 1 
Trespass: 13 
Criminal Mischief: 7 
Larceny: 2 
Grand Larceny: 1 
Unauthorized use of a vehicle: 1 
Possession of a Forged Instrument: 1 
Obstruction of Governmental Admin: 1 
Disobey a Court Order: 1 
Criminal Contempt's: 3 
Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance: 10 
Unlawful Possession of Marijuana: 17 
Criminal Possession of Marijuana: 5 
Disorderly Conduct: 4 
Harassment: 4 
Aggravated Harassment: 2 
Endangering the Welfare of a Child: 4 
Driving While Intoxicated: 9 
Total Charges: 150

Arrest Totals for 2020 by Race


Asian: 1 
Hispanic: 0 
Native American: 0 
Black: 4 
White: 103 
Village of Cambridge New York Seal