Allegany County Sheriff Rick Whitney attended...
In a series of coordinated press
conferences, New York State Sheriffs presented a number of legislative
proposals aimed at protecting law-enforcement personnel and the public they
serve. These proposals were the result of weeks of conversations among
Sheriffs about the recent confrontations between police and the public across
the nation.
"Officers are trained in
de-escalation, but that requires cooperation on both sides," noted Association
Trustee Allegany County Sheriff Rick Whitney who attended the press conference
in Niagara County. "An officer's split-second reaction to a perceived
threat perhaps may later be thought all wrong. There is a time and place
to question an officer's actions, but it is not in the middle of the street
when the officer is under pressure to control a situation on behalf of the
public's safety."
Two of the ten legislative
proposals presented include increasing the felony level for those who resist
arrest and for those who fail to retreat or halt when ordered by a police
officer. Another six proposals address related crimes against officers
such as assault, aggravated harassment, criminal doxing and stalking of
officers.
Additionally, Sheriffs encouraged
the legislature to recognize and highlight the work done by law-enforcement
personnel by passing a $500,000 disability and death benefit and designating
May 15 of each year as a state holiday - Police Memorial Day - to honor the
more than 1,500 officers who have died in the line of duty to New York State.
"We call upon the
Legislature and the Governor to enact these proposals in recognition of the sad
fact that, in the performance of their difficult and dangerous work, too many
police officers lose their lives," said State Sheriff’s Association
President Washington County Sheriff Jeff Murphy.
The regional press events were
held in Albany, Oneida, Ontario, Broome and Niagara counties.
