IPD officer makes Newfield his home

With strong ties to Tompkins County, Ithaca Police Department (IPD) Officer James Davenport has chosen the hamlet of Newfield to put down permanent roots and call home.

“My great-grandfather, Amos Davenport, on my father’s side, was an electrician and owned his own business, Davenport Electric on 420 N. Geneva St. in Ithaca,” James said. “He also purchased a stretch of land along Cayuga that is now Lansing Station Road. At the time, it was only a small train station and nothing else.”

James notes that although he still has family in Lansing, he has four generations of family history throughout all of Tompkins County.

“[Amos’] son, my grandfather, Robert Davenport, raised his family between Louisiana during the school year and Lansing Station Road during the summers until him and my grandma retired,” James said. “They moved to Lansing Station permanently and cooked at Phi Delta Theta during the semesters until the late ’90s. My uncle is a construction site supervisor who oversaw the building of the vet school at Cornell in the ’90s, and my aunt started Finger Lakes Physical Therapy. We’ve been in Tompkins County a long time.”

Originally from Lansing, James has been with IPD for almost six years. After graduating from SUNY Brockport with a double major in criminal justice and history, he applied to the Phoenix, Ithaca, Vermont, Rochester and Denver police departments. Ithaca was the first to extend an offer of employment, so James chose Tompkins County to start his career. A year and a half ago, James also joined the department’s specialized response team (SRT).

“The team affords you a lot of training,” James said. “There’s a lot of work that involves physical and mental challenges, and we train very hard. I used to play football, basketball and baseball — plus, I used to competitively run. I am competitive, and I like staying physically active. I really enjoy the team atmosphere. I feel that to be successful professionally, IPD offers me a great deal of valuable opportunities.”

In February 2021, Tompkins County saw the creation of a Reimagining Public Safety Initiative (tinyurl.com/2c28xljx) that would change the standard operating procedures of his department as well as all county law enforcement currently in place. James shared his thoughts on the process.

“I find the Reimagining initiative very frustrating because I don’t feel it’s addressing the real issues,” he said. “I feel it addresses the symptoms of problems rather than the problems themselves. I feel that there is a lack of attention paid to substance abuse, mental health and struggling single parents.”

James believes the reform presents the city of Ithaca with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to effect change in the community. He said the Reimagining movement could allow the city to enhance agencies with family, mental health and drug counselors. He said that would leave the police department to deal with matters of a criminal nature and provide much-needed resources to people in need.

“This would allow individuals suffering and in need of assistance to avoid feeling criminalized due to a police response,” James said. “We would be available if there’s any risk of violence, but we wouldn’t have to be the primary responders.”

James reflected on his time serving Tompkins County and believes that a lack of role models and guidance is something too commonly seen.

“I see a lot of single parents struggling,” James said. “I see situations where both parents end up in poor situations and having to struggle. I feel that addressing the problems, rather than the symptoms creating them, would bring a broader, more beneficial and more positive outcome for those struggling in our community. Throughout the years, as the city has dealt with major issues like mental health and substance abuse, the police department has essentially become social workers with tasers and with guns. I think the addition of more services is welcomed by the department.”

To learn more about the city’s Reimagining plan, visit tinyurl.com/yb522dsh.

Having settled into Newfield permanently, James looks forward to continuing to serve Tompkins County with the Ithaca Police Department, taking solace in his country home that allows him close access to the department and SRT team he serves with.

“My wife and I will be starting a family here,” James said. “Newfield is perfect. There’s beautiful swimming holes and hiking locations and it’s a great place to go mountain biking and hunting. I have a one-and-a-half-year-old German shorthaired pointer named Beasley that’s always going out with me. It gives you a very country feel while still being 5 minutes from the city. People are quiet, private and really friendly. It may only be a few minutes from downtown, but it feels like a million miles away from city life.”

Newfield Notes appears every Wednesday in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@VizellaMedia.com.