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.