LEGISLATURE STUFF - Transparency and Protection

CATSKILL - In the spring of 2020, George Floyd died in the street while being arrested in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for allegedly passing off a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes.

The reverberations of Floyd’s death were felt worldwide, resulting in global protests and the murder conviction of police officer Derek Chauvin.

A month after Floyd was killed, then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered a statewide Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative. 

Law enforcement agencies, including the Greene County Sheriff’s Office and county government leaders, were directed to take part in “honest dialogue about the public safety needs of their community.”

A special committee was formed to, “promote community engagement to foster trust, fairness, and legitimacy, and to address any racial bias and disproportionate policing of communities of color,”

That committee submitted a lengthy report, and as part of public hearings on that report, a request was made for the sheriff’s office to use, “body/dash wireless cameras for transparency and accountability.”

“Cameras could be used to hold officers accountable for their actions and can also be a means to exonerate a law enforcement officer from false allegations,” the report stated.

Cameras were made Standard Operating Procedure in 2023 and must now be updated, according to sheriff Pete Kusminsky.

Toward that end, the Greene County Legislature recently approved a request from Kusminsky for the purchase of new cameras.

“Body cameras are suggested to be replaced every two years. The current body and car cameras are starting to fail and have hardware issues,” the resolution states.

“The current body camera company is not able to upgrade the technology

that will accurately depict what is occurring at a scene,” the resolution states, noting a different company, Axon, is able to do so.

Axon body cameras have, “the improved quality of nighttime video which is equal to what is actually seen by the deputy,” the resolution states.

Further, the Axon models, “come with built in GPS, allowing for real time location tracking of deputies who may be in need of backup.

“And Axon car cameras are equipped with license plate readers, expanding the department’s [capability] to every patrol vehicle on the road,” the resolution states.

The new cameras aren’t cheap, costing $650,218.88 which will paid evenly over a period of five years, starting with $130,043.17 this year, the resolution states.

“This technology has been fantastic,” Kusminsky said in a followup phone interview. “The new cameras will also improve the quality and method of transferring information for discovery for court proceedings.”

And also recently, lawmakers approved a resolution authorizing the purchase of upgraded firearms by the sheriff’s department.

Kusminsky, “has determined the extraordinary need for the acquisition of modernized duty weapons with the justification being the discontinuation of current Glock models carried by patrol,” the resolution states.

The State Division of Criminal Justice Services, “is actively encouraging agencies to change to 9mm duty guns with red dot sights,” the resolution states.

DCJS”s push to change is, “due to the results of FBI ballistic tests showing a higher accuracy standard of 9mm rounds, which decreases agency liability,” the resolution states.

Kusminsky has determined his department requires ninety-five Glock 9mm caliber handguns, available for $56,294.44 from Amchar Wholesale Inc., the resolution states.

As part of the deal, the sheriff’s office will be exchanging ninety-one used Glock 40 caliber handguns at $235 each, the resolution states.

That amounts to a credit of $21,385, dropping the net cost to $34,909.44,” the resolution states, saving a nice chunk of change.

Even better, the 34 G’s have already been reserved in an Emergency Services Equipment Fund, the resolution states.

And best of all, those monies were received from seizures conducted with the Drug Enforcement Agency and the United States Marshals, the resolution states, sparing we local mules of taxation.

“All the studies show the [Glock 9mm] have less recoil so it is easier for an officer to come back on target,” Kusminsky said, noting the department is “still looking for additional Corrections Officers,” at the county jail, while being at “full strength” on road patrols.