Hempstead Village committee to focus on police reform

Hempstead Village is forming a committee aimed at improving the relationship between police officers and the community they serve, village officials said Thursday.

The Hempstead Police Reform and Reinvention Committee, comprised of village board members and police as well as community leaders and clergy, will hold their first public meeting next week to gather input and inform attendees about police procedures.

Retired law enforcement, members of the Hempstead branch of the NAACP, the Terrace Avenue Civic Association, and public defenders will also be part of the committee.

Formation of the committee comes in response to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's June executive order mandating that 500 police departments statewide adopt police reform plans by April 2021 or risk losing state funding.

Senator Kevin Thomas said at the Press Conference: 

Our law enforcement officers are essential to ensuring public safety — they literally put themselves in harm's way every day to protect us. Now more than ever, we need to strengthen the relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve. 

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