The St. Lawrence County Seat

Village of Canton Response to Executive Order 203

August 2021

Village of Canton Seeks Volunteers for Public Safety Community Engagement Committee

The Community Engagement Committee is being created in accordance with the recommendations of the Advisory Committee that responded to the NYS Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative Executive Order 203. The Committee met during 2020-2021 and, based on feedback from the Canton community and in dialogue with the Canton Village Police, developed a plan to strengthen the community-police relationship and address any bias in policing.

One recommendation was to constitute a group of community members who would continue this collaborative work by meeting at least quarterly to discuss public safety challenges and opportunities with the Chief of Police and municipal leaders. The Committee will also plan community events that will allow community members and police to interact with one another (examples might include BBQ’s with the college campuses, community picnics, forums, etc.).

The Public Safety Committee (Trustees Beth Larrabee and Anna Sorensen) seeks eight to ten Canton community members who represent a broad spectrum of constituencies. Committee composition will be based on applicants’ interests and affiliations; the goal is a balanced representation of community constituencies and perspectives. We anticipate that the first Community Engagement Committee will create group processes to guide its work.

 

March 2021

Here is the final report submitted April 1 in response to the NYS Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative Executive order 203.

NYS Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative Executive Order 203 Plan for the Village of Canton

Updates about the ongoing process of community engagement and addressing the recommendations will be posted here.

February 2021

Community Members’ Input Needed

The Executive Order 203 Advisory Committee has developed a Draft Village of Canton Response Plan to NYS Executive Order 203: New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative. You can view a video recording of a presentation of the recommendations here.

We invite input from the Canton community. Please review the Recommendations and provide your feedback on this Survey.

Paper copies of the Recommendations and Survey can be requested by calling the Village Clerk’s Office at 315-386-2871.

Public Safety Community Forums (Zoom)

The Committee will host two Public Safety Community Forums by Zoom. The first will be on Wednesday, February 10, 2021, at 7pm, and the second on Sunday, February 21, 2021, at 3pm. Zoom links will become available before the meetings.

Note: A meeting was originally scheduled for February 7, 2021, at 3pm. It has been rescheduled to February 21, 2021, at 3pm.

October 14, 2020
Advisory Committee Members

Basil Cheney, Sergeant, Canton Village Police Department 
Ilene J Burke, Executive Director, St. Lawrence Valley Renewal House (St. Lawrence County’s Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Agency)
Robert Crowe, Fire Chief, Canton Fire & Rescue
Michael Dalton, Mayor, Village of Canton
Lauren Diop, Community Member
Kelly Finnerty, Director of Special Education, Canton Central School District
Dr. Kimberly Flint-Hamilton, Associate Dean for Diversity & Inclusion, St. Lawrence University
Patrick W. Gagnon, AVP, Director of Safety & Security, St. Lawrence University
The Rev. James Galasinski, Minister of The Unitarian Universalist Church of Canton
Dr. Emily Hamilton-Honey, Associate Professor and Co-Chief Diversity Officer at SUNY Canton
Sara Hutcheson, LCSW-r Reachout of St. Lawrence County
Beth Larrabee, Trustee, Village of Canton
Emily Marquart, Community Member
Alan Mulkin, Chief of University Police, SUNY Canton
Tricia Pethic, Chaplain, Community Member
Eileen Raymond, Community Member
Jim Santimaw, Chief of Police, Village of Canton
Lynn Snow, Community Member
Dr. Anna Sorensen, Trustee, Village of Canton

Monday, August 17
At the Canton Village Board meeting on Monday, August 17, Public Safety Committee members Beth Larrabee and Anna Sorensen presented Canton’s Plan To Respond To Executive Order 203 (New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative) and invited anyone interested in participating on the Advisory Board to complete this Interest Formno later than September 1.

Canton’s Plan To Respond To Executive Order 203

Advisory Board Interest Form