YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

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We understand the complexity of police work. The demands. The stress of providing fair, equitable and unbiased public safety.

We also understand the rewards. Building a partnership with community. Being a part of a vibrant small community that values family, its history, and its penchant for collaboration and partnering to enhance Auburn's collective responsibility to consistently evolve towards being a better place to live and work.

Take the Opportunity to Give Back to the Community

James Slayton, Auburn's newly promoted Police Chief has stated "that most APD members live in Auburn, so officers would be assisting people in the community where they live."

Booker T. Washington Community Center, 32 Chapman Avenue, Auburn, NY

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This event will enable you to raise questions and get answers, as well as sign up for the September 18 competitive exam that has an application deadline of August 19th. (See further information below.)

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YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Guest column: Understanding law enforcement, part two: The intricacies of moving forward

A Collaborative Essay written by: William Berry Jr., Shawn I. Butler and Brian Schenck Special to The Citizen, published on Sunday, June 27, 2021 in The Citizen, “Lake Life” section.

From left, Auburn Police Department Chief Shawn Butler, Harriet Tubman Center for Justice & Peace Chair William E. Berry Jr. and Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck. (Photo Provided)

There are ongoing efforts to remediate what is inherently problematic within the law enforcement profession as to actions pertaining to race, gender, cultural or gender identification. As law enforcement leaders, social justice advocates and allies work to change inappropriate or bias-related policing, it is incumbent on the larger society to refrain from using a broad brushstroke to paint all police as one nefarious self-serving cohort or an insidious, recalcitrant cabal bent on blindly protecting all officers, regardless of unlawful infractions, from accountability under the law.

During the past several years, the media has centered on incidents regarding white officers’ use of deadly force where the victim tends to be Black, and that imagery has captured the thinking of the national citizenry. These painful scenarios are not lost on the policing profession or social justice advocates. While 17th century enslavement, racism and oppression morphed into subsequent generational legally sanctioned and societal acceptance of inappropriate police actions that are unfortunately grounded in race-based control, dehumanization and subjugation, there remains an ongoing dilemma. Do historical (and “contemporary”) sins of the past indelibly mark current policing in its totality? Undeniably, there are more officers who have built careers with respect for citizens and the tenets of their profession. However, the “bad seeds” tend to cast an overarching aura of bad policing on the entirety of officers when that mantle of inappropriate and often deadly behavior is not warranted by most of those honorable members of the profession. Social activists and society in general must grapple with this dilemma that is becoming more complex and problematic with every reported national incident.

A pervasive trait in the 21st century is the fact that racism, implicit biases and societal political actions portend that one race is intrinsically and inherently superior to another race even when challenged by most faith-based leaders. Even with such denunciations of white supremacist thinking, there remains an ongoing societal problem and paradox in the American character. Subsequently, the task faced by law enforcement is how to best eradicate past injurious practices with a more comprehensive sensitivity to and understanding of race and its decades-old grip on the American psyche, as well as the public’s impatience with strategies developed to change what has been decades in the making toward a singular, quick fix. Recent documentation of white supremacists joining police departments have complicated this issue and, for some, raise first amendment rights and sensibilities.

Often, biased media reports, pointed political rants from both sides of the political aisle, and too-early pronouncements of supposed guilt or the righteousness of appropriate police action are unfairly articulated before independent investigations are completed. The totality of these factors tend to further complicate the public’s understanding of all facets of any police issue, especially those actions where there is the use of deadly force. It may be prudent if initial analyses are not vocalized by the involved police jurisdiction, but timely and transparent reports to the public and media by the sanctioned investigating body. And in that vein, lawyers, pundits and media talking heads should also delay their comments and wait for the end of any investigation. This measured approach should not broach any independent analyses or opinions as long as commentary is stated clearly as not a providence of fact.

The contemporary issues facing all phases of law enforcement are intricate patterns within the colorful and diverse fabric of human dignity and self-worth. And in that complexity of human endeavor, we should see social justice activists, police and allies on either side of any policing action or public safety discussion as respectful contributors to be heard and listened to. While it is possible for all involved citizenry to be on the same side regardless of pre-stated stances, there should be a commonality of thought to approach and settle adversarial differences. Engaging in difficult conversations and finding workable resolutions can, and often does, appease both sides. And that process begins with a willingness to communicate with one another in an attempt to understand different perspectives based on lived experiences, be it professional or cultural.

Any national discussion of police actions that prompt public concern, planned marches, impromptu demonstrations and, in some cases, adjudication in court, have a measurable impact on local policing and action. While national situations have an impact on the thinking of local communities, Auburn and Cayuga County residents should assess local police and the sheriff's department on what is actually done and not what people assume those departments do. While these overarching issues are complex, our local focus must remain centered on the needs of our community, and those ongoing efforts and initiatives continue to move toward a model of community-based policing. It is critical to know about and understand the intricacies of local law enforcement and how officers operate within the realm of public safety. With such perspectives in place, more members of the community can assist in furthering effective law enforcement.

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William (bill) E. Berry Jr. chairs the board of the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice & Peace, serves as a board member of the United Way of Cayuga County, and publishes aaduna, an online literary and visual arts journal based in Auburn. Shawn I. Butler serves as chief of police for the Auburn Police Department, is president of the Central New York Association of Chiefs of Police, and is the Northeast regional chair of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Midsize Agencies Division. Brian Schenck serves as the Cayuga County Sheriff.

Guest column: Understanding law enforcement, part one: The duality of truth

An essay written by: William Berry Jr., Shawn I. Butler and Brian Schenck Special to The Citizen Newspaper, published on Sunday, June 20, 2021

GTKY 2.021 A Re-Gathering of Community Leaders Getting to Know One Another

Harriet Tubman Center for Justice & Peace, Inc., “Getting to Know You, aka GTKY 2.021,” 2nd annual event, held on June 25, 2021, private residence, Auburn, NY. Photo credit: Lisa Brennan (c) 2021

The Harriet Tubman Center for Justice and Peace hosted its 2nd annual event that brought together law enforcement and social justice advocates. Initiated in August 2020, this local gathering enabled two community groups, who are nationally perceived to be at odds on policing issues, to get to know each other on a personal level not burdened by uniform, job position, or media representation that all too often presents a one-dimensional picture of either group. At its core, this strategic community initiative is platformed on emboldening the concept of one shared community where all residents are valued; treated equitably with respect even when there are differences of opinion, and not by artificial perceptions of worth due to career choice.   

Chief Shawn Butler, Auburn Police Department, bill berry, jr., HTCJP chair, Sheriff Brian Schenck, Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office, GTKY 2.021, June 25, 2021

The 2021, post Covid-19 event, was hosted at the home of Jack Hardy, chair of the Auburn Civil Service Commission and a member of the HTCJP, as well as other local boards. This year, approximately 32 individuals (almost double the number from the initial year) convened for an afternoon of relaxed and fun conversations, grilled burgers and hot dogs, fresh homemade salads, and beverages.

On a Friday that was sunny with mild winds, this year’s gathering was situated on an expansive backyard. The participants easily chatted with folks that they did not know for 10 minute intervals and then moved on to another person who was not known. As the event progressed, participants pleasantly gathered into small groups; sitting on lawn chairs in the shade for more relaxed conversation; sharing life stories, and simply, getting to know one another on a personal level. 

To expand the group, last year’s participants were asked to invite another person to the 2021 event to foster a grass roots progression of getting more people involved in this initiative. And that strategic process will also shape the 2022 event. Held on the last Friday of June for two hours, the HTCJP is planning its third event for next year and expects to increase the participant size to 60 folks with a growing number growing each successive year.

““Thanks so much for bringing this group of devoted community members together today. Everything about the event was excellent and inspiring. I enjoyed myself and met many new people. As I reflect on today and the future of Auburn I reminded myself of the importance of these things.

- Our lives are very interconnected as is our overall well being
- Everything rises and falls on our collective leadership
- We are in this together and we need each other to survive
- Our collective commitment to a safe, just and equitable community helps Auburn continue being great.””

— Gwen Webber-McLeod President/CEO Gwen,Inc.

“Very well done, once again....”

— Sheriff Brian Schenck

Special Thank You to Jack Hardy, for his master chef skills at the grill! The burgers and dogs were off the hook!

Guest column: Understanding law enforcement, part one: The duality of truth

An essay written by: William Berry Jr., Shawn I. Butler and Brian Schenck Special to The Citizen Newspaper, published on Sunday, June 20, 2021

Policing is a complex task.

Policing is a profession grounded in a complicated variety of legally mandated and professional practices guided by personal ethics and integrity instilled from each officer’s upbringing, as well as the police academy, and then in-service training and real-work experiences.

Policing is a rewarding career, however fraught with dangerous possibilities; making split-second life-or-death decisions and facing the ire of some members of society who only see the uniform as a testament that reinforces calls for re-imagining, defunding or a major revamping of law enforcement departments. This last mindset places officers in an emotionally draining matrix that suggest the overall profession is mired in and devoid of sharing valued community aspirations, especially when the badge is inexplicitly tarnished by a very small minority in the profession who operate outside of the law and consciously, purposely or mistakenly reject the tenets of their sworn oath.

Understandably, for some, the history of policing in this country can be seen as strictly enforcement and protecting the privileged, as evidenced by the progression from slave patrols to red shirts to the start of organized police departments. And within this paradigm, like any other profession, there has been profound innovation, as well as detrimental policies and practices that may be directly affecting certain segments of society based on the racial and social economic proclivities of the citizenry at any given moment. The dilemma for law enforcement is all too often centered on finding the tenuous balance between public safety and the public’s expectations for police to effectively balance civil rights and public safety against the perceptions — and, in some cases, factual examples — of systemic racism and discriminatory bias that exist in different degrees and strata of society. This balance must also be considerate of what the individual community desires and expects from its local police department.

Those expectations can be an even more perilous tightrope for police leadership, activists, officers and allies. That line of demarcation can be due to a community’s overwhelming desire to vigorously maintain the status quo, or the surging, strongly held “minority” viewpoint that focuses on generational discrimination, or it can be fermented via challenges to the majority’s belief in not being held accountable for the historical sins of their elders. Of course, contemporary partisan political beliefs, inequities in attaining family wealth and social success, as well as decades-old residential segregation, make the task of resolution that much more difficult. And society expects law enforcement to find the strategic remedy.

Over time, society has relegated many social ills to policing responsibility and the unfair task of finding workable solutions, if any really exist, to such problems that oftentimes are not within the wheelhouse of expertise for the police to solve. It is clear that there is now a quagmire of expectations that has transitioned traditional policing toward a complex social service model that departments may be ill-equipped to satisfactorily resolve. Homelessness, opioid addiction, mental health issues, socioeconomic inequities and domestic conflicts have tasked policing with a multiplicity of human issues while the national conversation tackles use of force, qualified immunity, policing practices and protocols, and implicit biases.

In President Biden’s 2021 Peace Officer Memorial Day and Police Week proclamation, he accurately stated, “We must also stop tasking law enforcement with problems that are far beyond their jurisdictions. From providing emergency health care to resolving school discipline issues, our communities rely on the police to perform services that often should be the duty of other institutions. We then accuse the police of failure when responsibility lies with public policy choices they did not make. Supporting our law enforcement officers requires that we invest in underfunded public systems that provide health care, counseling, housing, education, and other social services.”

Unfortunately, these topics are riddled with entrenched positions, usually based on race or class or personal politics, where meaningful and respectful dialogue is the exception and not the norm. In Auburn and Cayuga County, law enforcement and social justice advocates continue to tackle the implications of national issues. However, folks involved in these group discussions and pre-COVID-19 community meetings remain driven and assertively centered on creating a community public safety mindset where there is fair and unbiased law enforcement at the local level to ameliorate and alleviate negative national issues from infesting our community.

All duly sworn and licensed officers understand that they are held to a higher standard and level of scrutiny regarding how they function and carry out their job responsibilities as contrasted with other professions. Society should be more sensitive to the emotional and physical implications officers are subject to and understand the clear majority of law enforcement officers are hard-working, community-focused, responsible and dedicated adherents to the mission and standards of their departments and oath they have sworn to uphold. It is indicative of a polarized society that all too often, the unflattering and inappropriate behavior of the few police miscreants are able to cast the entire profession in a negative modality. While there are intrinsic differences of opinion on interpreting statistics that may indicate unfair policing based on race, there may be the need to separate sanctioned policy and practices from the individual behavior of some officers. And there needs to be a recognition of race-based policing practices that are historically well-documented and tend to influence the thinking of those groups who have carried the brunt of such inappropriate policing behavior.

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William (bill) E. Berry Jr. chairs the board of the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice & Peace, serves as a board member of the United Way of Cayuga County, and publishes aaduna, an online literary and visual arts journal based in Auburn. Shawn I. Butler serves as chief of police for the Auburn Police Department, is president of the Central New York Association of Chiefs of Police, and is the Northeast regional chair of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Midsize Agencies Division. Brian Schenck serves as the Cayuga County Sheriff.

Guest column: Understanding law enforcement, part two: The intricacies of moving forward

A Collaborative Essay written by: William Berry Jr., Shawn I. Butler and Brian Schenck Special to The Citizen, published on Sunday, June 27, 2021 in The Citizen, “Lake Life” section..

Auburn police reform plan presented to council; public comments sought

Article published in The Citizen newspaper, Kelly Rocheleau, Reporter, February 26, 2021

Auburn Police Chief Shawn Butler talks with protesters during a march May 31 in downtown Auburn to honor George Floyd and speak out against inequality and police brutality.

Kevin Rivoli, The Citizen

The Auburn City Council on Thursday received the Auburn Police Department's draft reform plan, which is now open for public comments.

Assistant Corporation Counsel Nate Garland presented the plan, mandated by Gov. Andrew Cuomo's executive order on policing last summer, at the council's virtual meeting. The APD and Cayuga County Sheriff's Office have worked with community stakeholders over the past several months to form their respective plans.

Stakeholder subgroups in this process included police structure and training, community relations and crime prevention, and alternatives to police response and procedural justice. Several forums were held to garner feedback from the public.

Garland said he felt good about the plan's current draft, which is available through the city's website. He said transparency is critical, and felt APD Chief Shawn Butler and Deputy Chief Roger Anthony have emphasized that.

"We have the infrastructure and the mindset internally, I think, to that make that happen," Garland said.

The law enforcement agencies also have been working through the state Division of Criminal Justice Services accreditation process, with goals that include improving efficiency, ensuring personnel get proper training and promoting confidence in law enforcement agencies. Garland said accreditation is a way to ensure the public that the department is "functioning under the most modern theories of policy and (gives) a certain amount of bonafides."

For the next steps, Garland said there is a two-week public comment period ending March 11. He will then incorporate those comments into the plan's final draft, set to be presented to council on March 18 for possible adoption. It would then be sent to the state the next day.

The city's website page for the reform plan formation explains how people can offer their opinions during the comment period, which includes a link to the city's online comments page that would let people email the entire council. Written comments can be mailed to the mayor and city council at Memorial City Hall, 24 South St. Auburn, NY 13021. Participants can also submit comments through a dropbox at the front or back entrances of city hall. People are asked to address their comments to the Office of the Mayor and the City Council.

For police structure proposals, the draft plan said the APD supports having body cameras on officers, but an initial investment and continued funding would be required. Preparing and adopting policies on using such cameras and "the retention and disposition of the evidentiary video created by this technology" would also be necessary, the report said.

The APD, which currently doesn't allow choke hold restraints, has updated various polices regarding use of force, according to the plan.

The document said the APD will continue to "use no-knock warrants in narrowly tailored situations with both judicial and internal administrative preclearance to better ensure the safety of officers and the public," but the department's polices on it will change accordingly if state legislation gives further guidance.

The report noted that some members of stakeholder groups and forums commented on recent initiatives from APD and the sheriff's office to boost racial and gender diversity in their agencies through more recruitment and community outreach, and the APD affirmed its commitment to continuing those efforts.

The plan also commits to continued, expanded training, including training that addresses diversity, deescalation techniques and racial bias. It also recommends the community explore de-escalation trainings for public school students.

For mental health intervention and response, APD said it has been working with the Cayuga County Mental Health Department and their agency partners. A mental health mobile crisis team is available to work with APD officers from 5 p.m. to midnight, but the team isn't available after midnight. The plan states there is "demonstrated need" to make these services available on a 24/7 basis. APD said it will also work to make support for officers' mental health a normal part of training, supervision and discipline.

The plan calls for making sure law enforcement leaders carry on community outreach efforts, as well. The continuation of the school resource officer program in the Auburn school district is encouraged as part of that. In addition, the plan notes that APD and the sheriff's office "underscored the challenge of current low staffing levels that are keeping officers 'pinned' to their vehicles. As challenges to low recruitment are met and overcome, and staffing numbers return to appropriate levels, both departments support the implementation of community policing initiatives."

The plan also addresses some community suggestions regarding a citizen review board and periodic public reports on founded misconduct from officers.

"While there was general support for such public reports and processes, establishment of these protocols would be subject to civil service law and bargaining agreements with unions, potentially limiting the information that could be released under certain circumstances," the document said.

Download PDF

Staff writer Kelly Rocheleau can be reached at (315) 282-2243 or kelly.rocheleau@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @KellyRocheleau.

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Cayuga County seeks feedback on police reform proposal for sheriff's office

The Citizen staff

Feb 24, 2021

Cayuga County law enforcement asks residents to join upcoming police forum -

Article by Kelly Rocheleau, Reporter, The Citizen Newspaper, published December 30, 2020

The Auburn Police Department and the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office don't want the public to shy away from talking about their performance and what they are doing, positively and negatively, for an upcoming police forum.

Both agencies have been working with community stakeholders — including Auburn officials, county officials, those from Cayuga County-area municipalities and social justice group leaders — to review police procedures, practices, strategies and more and create a plan to improve in order to promote trust,  address systemic racial biases and meet community needs, as Auburn Police Chief Shawn Butler previously said.

A public Zoom meeting for the forum was held Dec. 15, while another public forum is set for 5 p.m. Jan. 6 through that same platform.

People are asked to register for the upcoming Zoom event. The link is available on a Facebook page for the event. Community members are also encouraged to participate in surveys for the APD and for the sheriff's office. Questions include how the agencies do in providing services to the community, what equality and social justice related to local community law enforcement means and how the agencies can improve their transparency and accountability. The surveys are anonymous but there are questions about a participant's gender, age and race.  

Butler and Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck said the process with different stakeholders has been encouraging, but they hope for more community participation. They both added they'd like more people to participate and expressed a desire for a good turnout for the virtual forum. 

Butler said APD's survey has been out for over a month, and as of Wednesday, 316 responses have been received, compared to over 26,000 people who live in Auburn. Hearing people's thoughts and opinions is "the only way we're going to change as people feel that we need to change," he added.

The APD is aware, Butler said, of the conversations involving policing following events such as the protests over the summer after the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man killed earlier this year by a former Minneapolis police officer, and they want to hear from people.

Butler said they want to hear from the city's "marginalized or the underserved community" and the community as a whole. 

"But what I really want to change, and we have over the last several years, is change the culture of this warrior mentality and (come) back to the servant mentality where we can have compassion and empathy for the people we serve, in the situations where that demeanor is needed," he continued. 

Additionally, Butler said he encourages officers to engage with community organizations such as the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice & Peace and the Auburn/Cayuga Branch of the NAACP and different social service outreach organizations, to learn more about different perspectives. 

Butler implored people to participate in next week's forum to tell the agency what's it's doing right and wrong. If people aren't comfortable with giving their opinion that way, he hopes they take the survey.

Schenck said the APD and the sheriff's office have had interesting conversations with the various stakeholders as part of the process so far. There were three subgroups: police structure and training, community relations and crime prevention and alternatives to police response and procedural justice.

Schenck encourages people to communicate via his work email at sheriff@cayugacounty.us and his desk number, (315) 253- 4337. He added he wants people to contact him and "feel comfortable that when they reach out and give me feedback, whether it's good or bad, I want them to feel comfortable that I'm going to take that feedback and try to use that to make our sheriff's office better."

Ultimately, Schenck said he wants to hear what the sheriff's office can do "to ensure that we're providing law enforcement services that fit the needs of our community.

"I want to hear from as many people that we serve as possible with that feedback, and they can let us know how we're doing or give us ideas so that we can do our job better or tell us what areas need improvement so that we can start working on that," he said.

Staff writer Kelly Rocheleau can be reached at (315) 282-2243 or kelly.rocheleau@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @KellyRocheleau.

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Register for the January 6th Zoom Event:
Meeting Registration - Zoom

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