Progress on Reimagining Public Safety Collaborative

The Community Justice Center (CJC), a joint initiative between the City of Ithaca and Tompkins County tasked with implementing collaborative Reimagining Public Safety, has shared new information about the ongoing Reimagining Public Safety plans. 

The Reimagining Public Safety Collaborative was created in response to New York State Executive Order 203, New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative, created in 2021.

In February, the CJC announced that they were working on a plan to promote and support holistic law enforcement officer wellness.

A team composed of personnel from the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office, Tompkins County Department of Emergency Response, Tompkins County Whole Health and the Ithaca Police Department are reviewing ideas for wellness programming that could be offered. 

In addition to soliciting ideas from the public, a survey was issued to law enforcement personnel and dispatchers to gauge what may have positive and negative impacts on wellness, as well as what tools and programs may be beneficial. Currently, data is still being collected and is unavailable for sharing.

A total of $75,000 has been committed by the city and county in 2023 to support the implementation of the plan once survey data is analyzed and program ideas are reviewed.

Community members can still share ideas on how the county and city can promote and support the physical, mental and emotional wellness of officers and first responders on the Reimagining Public Safety website.

Monalita Smiley, the project director of the Community Justice Center, is charged with implementing the Tompkins County and City of Ithaca collaborative recommendations for Reimagining Public Safety. 

“My overall experience has been positive. Both law enforcement and the community have shown that there needs to be some changes made, and they are willing to put in the work to make that happen,” Smiley said.

Recently, Tompkins County Whole Health and the Sheriff’s Office announced a new law enforcement and mental health co-response team called the Crisis Alternative Response and Engagement (CARE) team. The CARE team will be piloted this year with funding for licensed clinical therapist positions and a sheriff’s deputy position dedicated to the program. Applications for licensed clinical therapists are open through May 1, 2023.

The program will be piloted in the county, excluding the City of Ithaca, while a program that would cover the city’s jurisdiction is determined. 

“Over the last year, the Sheriff’s Office, the Whole Health Department and the Department of Emergency Response have worked collaboratively to design a crisis co-response program that will best serve our community,” said Tompkins County Undersheriff Jennifer Olin. “This work has included, but is not limited to, meeting with other jurisdictions that have have been doing similar work, developing policy, establishing an MOU (memorandum of understanding) regarding each department’s role, identifying stakeholders that the team will work closely with, developing branding, establishing quality control measures, establishing minimum qualifications and continuing training needs for the team members.”  

The CARE team is part of the alternative response model promised in the Reimagining Public Safety plan. The team’s goal is to improve access to mental health and addiction services for residents experiencing crises. By having a specially trained law enforcement officer paired with a licensed clinical therapist with experience in mental health crises, the hope is that individuals can avoid unnecessary hospitalization and/or be diverted from the criminal justice system. 

The program anticipates meeting these aims by de-escalating crisis situations, linking people in need with community treatment and support services and providing in-person follow-up support within the first 24 to 48 hours after the crisis.

“The Crisis Alternative Response & Engagement team’s primary purpose is to provide comprehensive mental health services to persons in mental, behavioral or emotional crisis,” said Olin. “The goals of the unit are to match mental health services to a person in crisis by offering alternatives to emergency petitions, when justified by clinical assessment, increase access to the mental health system resources, divert community members from the criminal justice system when mental/behavioral health issues are the driving force of their actions and reduce the patrol officer’s time in handling such individuals.”

According to the county’s website, licensed clinical therapists will be employees within Mental Health Services of Tompkins County Whole Health. CARE team members will be dispatched either directly following a 911 call for service or after another law enforcement officer has already arrived on scene and identified a mental or behavioral health crisis.

Smiley added that it has been great to see everyone working together and that one of the highlights of this initiative is all of the feedback that has been received. All partners of the project have been working to address comments in a way that will benefit everyone involved.

The CJC is also seeking applicants for its volunteer advisory board. 

“The role of advisory board will be to advise the Tompkins County Legislature, City of Ithaca Common Council and Community Justice Center project director to improve public transparency and accountability with respect to the City of Ithaca and Tompkins County public safety systems, by providing robust opportunities for community engagement, ongoing analysis and oversight of the implementation of the Reimagining Public Safety plans,” Smiley said.

The board will be composed of seven community members with “lived experience in community engagement, building trust, addressing racial bias, or equity in public safety. The Advisory Board will also include local public safety and criminal justice professionals identified by the City of Ithaca and Tompkins County,” according to the county’s website.

The advisory board has a time commitment of one meeting per month plus additional community engagement activities. Members serve for two-year terms. Applications should be submitted by April 25. The application form is accessible online here and at the City Clerk’s Office at 108 East Green St. in Ithaca.

“As a result of Reimagining Public Safety, the hope is to see a more collaborative relationship between law enforcement and the community while working towards more equitable,

unbiased and culturally responsive services that will benefit both,” Smiley said.