NEWBURGH – The City of Newburgh’s Executive Order 203 Police Relations and Review Board finalized the draft for their official action plan Tuesday evening. It is due to Albany on April 1.
The plan, which needs city council approval, includes a department-wide increase in training, adding to the curriculum community relations, anti-racist, implicit bias, cultural awareness, de-escalation, and increasing crisis intervention training. The use of lethal force was also addressed in the plan, banning the use of chokeholds, changing how police canines can be used, and included a duty to intervene section. The Right to Know, allowing the board to evaluate specific police complaints also made it into the final plan.
City police advisor Robert McLymore said although the action plan is finalized, the work is not and he wants people to know it.
“It’s not going to end here. This is something that is going to continue. We’re going to continue to meet even after the plan is sent to Albany,” said McLymore. “We’re still going to be meeting because there’s much work to do,” he said.
All of these actions were suggested and discussed at the previous month’s review board meeting; however, there were some new additions made Tuesday just prior to the plan’s finalization.
Those were to add subpoena power to the review board to summon officers regarding specific complaints for the Right to Know section and to create a police track-listing unit consisting of local members of clergy that would work as liaisons between the police, community and victims of crime.
The finalized action plan for Executive Order 203 Police Relations and Review Board will appear before the City Council on Monday of next week.
