Camille Daniels and Jason Golub, residents and professionals of Saratoga Springs, leaned into co-leadership of one of the most challenging, confrontational, and exhaustive efforts our community has experienced in the past two decades — one that has perhaps the greatest potential to positively impact our BIPOC community members, as well as the future of Public Safety for all of us. In June of 2020, Governor Cuomo issued Executive Order 203, entitled "New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative.” Saratoga Spring’s City Council followed the directive, nominating 13 community members to form Saratoga Springs Police Reform Task Force (SSPRTF), charged with engaging all public stakeholders for input and, then, generating recommendations“intended to promote and improve police and community relationships based on trust, fairness, accountability, and transparency, and which seek to reduce any racial disparities in policing” — in only 9 months! A Herculean effort at any time, made tougher by the intensity of emotions and critical shift in awareness around racism and police brutality following the murder of Mr. Floyd, May 2020.

Done.

But then the Council waffled on those recommendations, which were, by decree of the Governor, to be both adopted and then implemented in the fullest. And so the SSPRTF went back to work to rally the public and to make their voices heard. Today, there is new leadership in the City Council that ran on the platform of implementing all of the Task Force’s recommendations, including the hotly-contested Civilian Review Board. THAT would not have happened without the courageous, committed, and concerted leadership of Golub and Daniels, as well as the extraordinary focused efforts of the entire SSPRTF (see full committee below).

Well done, All!
And thank you.

• SSPRTF’s complete, original Recommendations:
  “Reinvention Plan: Toward a Community Centered Justice Initiative”

• MLK Saratoga’s 4-page condensed version (pdf)
  Overview of SSPRTF’s Recommendations
  

• Task Force Members:

  • Camille Daniels (Co-Chairperson) 

  • Jason Golub (Co-Chairperson)

  • Vince DeLeonardis, City Attorney

  • Winston Grady-Willis, Skidmore College

  • Terry Diggory, Saratoga Immigration Coalition

  • Daesha Harris, MLK Saratoga

  • Chuck Caputo, Saratoga Pride

  • Shane Crooks, Chief of Police

  • Andrew Sephas

  • Cecilia Hayes

  • Steven Boxley

  • Kimberly A. Galvin

  • Kristen Dart