Putnam Police Panel - LGBTQIA+ Subcommittee

All responses will remain confidential

Thank you for participating in this survey. The Putnam Police Panel was established in August in response to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order 203, which requires each of the 500 jurisdictions with police departments in New York State to develop a police reform plan by April 1, 2021. The 21-member panel is chaired by County Executive Odell and includes the Sheriff’s Department and local police officials, as well as legislative, county and municipal leaders. In addition, on November 4, 2020 nine Subcommittees were established to get input and feedback from various constituencies and communities. These were identified as: Education, Putnam Families, Law Enforcement, Mental Health, Latinx, Veterans, African Americans, Community Outreach/Homeless (Clergy), and LGBTQIA+. More information is available at www.putnamcountyny.com/policereviewpanel/

Our LGBTQIA+ Subcommittee is a small group of volunteers. While we come from different backgrounds, we are not experts in policing, nor are we experts in racial theory, gender studies, or social science. But we are bringing our unique experiences forward in an effort to ensure that some voice is given to LGBTQIA+ people across Putnam County. Due to a very limited timeline, and very limited resources provided to our Subcommittee, we have created a quick survey of some big-picture items. We are asking for your thoughts and experiences to help formulate our recommendations to the Panel. This is by no means exhaustive, and we hope you understand that some of the terms and phrases used may not be encompassing enough to capture every identity. Your constructive feedback is welcome and appreciated.

We thank you in advance for helping us to make the Putnam County Sheriff's Department a safe, equitable, and accountable resource for everyone in our community.

This survey will be open until December 24, 2020.

Question Title

* 1. How do you self-identify as a member of the LGBTQIA+ Community, openly or otherwise? (please check any that apply)

Lesbian

Gay

Bisexual

Transgender

Queer

Intersex

Asexual

Gender Non-conforming

Gender fluid

I am the spouse/partner of an LGBTQIA+ person

I am the parent or primary caregiver of an LGBTQIA+ young person

I do not self-identify as a member of the LGBTQIA+ Community

Other (please specify)

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* 2. What is your age?

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* 3. What is your zip code?

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* 4. Have you or anyone in your household had any interactions with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department that you believe were affected negatively by your/their gender, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation or marital status?

Yes (Please describe):

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* 5. Have you ever witnessed a crime, been victim of a crime, or otherwise needed police assistance, but hesitated to call the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department because of a fear of personal discrimination due to your gender, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation or marital status OR due to any other identifying factor, such as race, color, religion, or immigration status?

Yes. (Please describe):

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* 6. Which of the following polices should the Putnam County Sheriff's Department prioritize to decrease discrimination based on gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation or marital status, within the Department and across the county? (please limit choices to 3)

Study, implement and publicize policies outlining standards of safety for individuals held in gender-segregated detention; clearly communicate to any potentially vulnerable person facing detention what policies are in place to ensure their protection while in custody.

Require all department employees to undergo ongoing anti-bias and sensitivity training regarding LGBTQIA+ issues, specifically focusing on LGBTQIA+ youth, same-sex families, and transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming awareness.

Establish a dedicated LGBTQIA+ Outreach Coordinator to act as a liaison between the Department and Community; dedicated to ongoing dialog, and ongoing training opportunities.

Review all Departmental documents for gendered language (i.e.: "policeman" or "policewomen") and replaced with gender-neutral language.

Require all School Resource Officers employees to undergo ongoing anti-bias and sensitivity training regarding LGBTQIA+ issues, specifically focusing on LGBTQIA+ youth, and transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming awareness.

Require civilian observers to attend all anti-bias/sensitivity attended by members of the department and/or made training materials readily available to the public.

Remove binary gender declarations (male/female) on all Departmental documents; allow open-ended response, or remove questions entirely to the fullest extent allowable.

Require all Officers and affiliated professionals (Social Workers, EMTS, etc.) to undergo training specifically related to identifying potential domestic violence and abuse within LGBTQIA+ households.

Maintain statistics for all police encounters involving self-identifying LGBTQIA+ individuals (as witnesses, victims, or suspects) for continued analysis.

Study, implement and publicize a Civilian Complaint Board for anyone to address grievances regarding the Department through an independent body.

Study, implement and publicize a policy clearly stating whether employees may belong to, or promote (on social media or otherwise) any organization that has been linked to domestic or international terrorism, or violent, homophobic, transphobic, racist or sexist ideologies, or any other White Nationalist causes

Other Suggestions:

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* 7. If the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department were to implement any of the above recommendations, how would it affect your relationship with the Department? (Please check all that apply.)

I would feel more comfortable having a School Resource Officer (SRO) at my child's school.

It would increase my overall trust in the the Department

It would have no affect on my relationship with the Department.

I would request the LGBTQIA+ Outreach Coordinator be contacted during any interactions I have with the Department

I would feel safer reporting incidents of Domestic Violence within my household.

I would be more likely to request police assistance

I would be more likely to report crimes I witness

Other (please specify)

None of the above

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* 8. If the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department were to develop a volunteer LGBTQIA+ Citizens Committee, would you be willing to volunteer?

Yes

Need more info

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* 9. If the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department were to host periodic roundtable discussions with community leaders and the public, focusing on LGBTQIA+ issues, would you participate?

Yes

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* 10. Is there anything else you would like to share about the Putnam County Sheriff's Department?

No.

Yes (please explain)

Putnam Police Panel - LGBTQIA+ Subcommittee

** All responses will remain confidential **

Question Title

* 1. How do you self-identify as a member of the LGBTQIA+ Community, openly or otherwise? (please check any that apply)

Question Title

* 2. What is your age?

Question Title

* 3. What is your zip code?

Question Title

* 4. Have you or anyone in your household had any interactions with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department that you believe were affected negatively by your/their gender, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation or marital status?

Question Title

Question Title

* 6. Which of the following polices should the Putnam County Sheriff's Department prioritize to decrease discrimination based on gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation or marital status, within the Department and across the county? (please limit choices to 3)

Question Title

* 7. If the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department were to implement any of the above recommendations, how would it affect your relationship with the Department? (Please check all that apply.)

Question Title

* 8. If the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department were to develop a volunteer LGBTQIA+ Citizens Committee, would you be willing to volunteer?

Question Title

* 9. If the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department were to host periodic roundtable discussions with community leaders and the public, focusing on LGBTQIA+ issues, would you participate?

Question Title

* 10. Is there anything else you would like to share about the Putnam County Sheriff's Department?

All responses will remain confidential