COMMUNITY SAFETY

  • Everyone deserves to be and feel safe. My vision of success in public safety is to have a community that – without hesitation – will call on police officers for help. Policing must be professional, accountable, and appropriate, and police officers should have the skill and support to address every situation with equanimity. As such it is essential that our Ithaca Police officers be well trained, well supported, and appropriately staffed.

  • Our City expects the highest standards of professionalism and accountability in our police officers. We must support our law enforcement officers by providing them with the assistance they need to be able to collaboratively serve our community. Joint City-County public safety reform calls for County mental health professionals to serve people in crisis, so that law enforcement is not the only response available. City public safety reform calls for co-response teams to respond with police officers to non-violent calls to help connect those in need with services. We need a well-staffed police department, so that officers have the time and mobility to participate in training, as well as space to build connections and relationships with residents and community members. Officers who are asked to work overtime because of staffing shortages are unable to serve at the highest level, and suffer from exhaustion, stress and burnout.