BOARD OF SUPERVISORS COMMENTS

Privilege of the floor comments, Board of Supervisors meeting 9/21/18

Thank you Mr. Chairman - and Thank you to the board for your attention this morning. I hope you have had the opportunity to examine my analysis of the New York State Police Collision report concerning the Joshua Camp case.

For those who may be unfamiliar with the case:

On a warm summer evening in June of 2016 Joshua Camp rode his unregistered motorcycle down to the Middleburgh Stewarts store. There he encountered a Sheriff’s Deputy who began pursuit after Mr. Camp failed to submit to the Deputy’s authority.

Moments later Mr. Camp lay fatally injured and trapped under the Sheriff’s vehicle in the back yard of a residence just a few blocks away. The New York State Police investigated the incident and produced the Collision Reconstruction Report which is the subject of my analysis.

Josh Camp made some poor decisions that day. First, operating an unregistered vehicle on the public roads, and then defying the authority of a Sheriff’s Deputy and attempting to evade apprehension. The State Police collision report places blame for the collision only on Mr. Camp.

 

But Josh Camp is not the only person who made mistakes that day. He is not alone in responsibility for the collision. The collision report fails to recognize the actions of the Deputy which contributed to the collision.

 

I examined the state police report seeking to understand how the collision could have happened, and to learn more about how Schoharie County officials responded to the incident. My analysis reveals that, in addition to a serious error in judgment by the Deputy which significantly contributed in causing the collision, state and county officials made their own serious mis-judgements following the incident.

 

The recommendations I offer in the analysis are provided with hope for greater accountability of law enforcement and improved performance of county government. To that end, I urge the Board of Supervisors to take the lead in requesting the NY Attorney General’s office review this case. Additionally, the board should give serious consideration to establishing a Citizen Law Enforcement Oversight Board to assist you in this responsibility. Failing to do so would be a missed opportunity for improved government, and a serious disservice to the citizens of Schoharie County.

 

Democracy requires the rule of law – rules which are accepted and honored by the citizens and equally applied to all - regardless of position, prestige or station. To date, we have failed that ideal.

 

Thank you for your attention to this issue, I invite any questions you might have.