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Onondaga County residents called for more accountability and cultural awareness among police officers at a reform forum Thursday. 

The virtual forum, held over Zoom, was the first in a series planned by the Onondaga County Police Reform and Reinventitive Collaboration. The collaboration was formed in response to police reform legislation that Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued in June as a result of nationwide protests against police brutality following the killing of George Floyd. 

Several Onondaga County officials, including County Executive Ryan McMahon, attended the forum, facilitated by Nodesia Hernandez, director of community outreach in New York State Sen. Rachel May’s office. The forums will allow anyone in Onondaga County to share their thoughts about and personal encounters with county police. 

The forum opened with a review of Cuomo’s executive order issued in June, which requires all police agencies in New York state to submit their own plans for police reform by April 2021 to receive funding. Then, community members were welcome to speak.

Leonardo Sanchez, a county resident who is Black, said he’s been afraid to drive through Liverpool ever since he had a negative encounter with a police officer who pulled him over. He felt that he was wrongly pulled over for speeding while white drivers going the same speed weren’t reprimanded. 

A common suggestion for reform throughout the forum was to create more access for deaf residents and people with disabilities and to better train officers on communicating with both groups. 

Officers should also become familiar with cultural differences in social interactions, such as eye contact, which can lead to miscommunication, Hernandez said. 

“When children are in trouble, when humans are in trouble, it’s in our nature to sometimes go into fight or flight,” Hernandez said. “The way you speak and your demeanor and your tone is part of your respect.” 

Judith O’Rourke, a community member who spoke during the forum, said she’s always had positive experiences with police, but she knows others have not.

Barrie Gewanter, the recently retired county director of human rights, wants to see more supervision of officers and increased accountability. Officers need to utilize the training they receive about de-escalating situations, she said. 

“Demeanor issues should be treated as seriously as force issues,” Gewanter said.

County lawmakers will review suggestions and comments made during the public forums for possible future legislation and will take the public feedback into account when preparing its police reform plan for the state. 

This first forum focused primarily on the southwest parts of Onondaga County. The county will host another forum Tuesday, which will focus on Syracuse’s South and West neighborhoods.

Published on January 7, 2021 at 9:30 pm

Contact Sarah: scalessa@syr.edu | @sarahalessan