“Right to Know Act” proposed for Poughkeepsie city police

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"Meet and greet" is part of the Poughkeepsie Police community policing strategy. Officers Van Wagner and Braren pictured.

POUGHKEEPSIE – Significant steps have been taken recently to improve police-community relations in the City of Poughkeepsie, but one councilmember says more can be done.

Democrat Sarah Salem wants the city to have its own Right to Know Act.

“Residents of Poughkeepsie have the right to know the identity of the police officers that interact with them and the reason they are encountering the law enforcement activity and what prompts those interactions,” Salem said, during Monday night’s common council meeting.

She said among other provisions, police officers at the moment of encounter, would provide a card with the officer’s name and position and must clearly identify the reason for the encounter.

Salem has support from Shannon Wong, the director of the Lower Hudson Valley Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union.

“We are not alone in calling for these reforms,” Wong said.  “In order to identify solutions to restore and heal trust rifts between police department and the community, there was the President Obama’s 21st century task force on policing which heard from stakeholders across the country, many law enforcement officials and made recommendations to improve policing practices, including a yearly verbatim of the Right to Know Act.”

Wong agreed that things are moving in the right direction in Poughkeepsie.

There was no additional discussion or comment from other council members or city officials.




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