Law Enforcement Review

7 October 2020

To the Editor

The Mountain Eagle/Schoharie News

A recent report concerning a meeting of the Schoharie County Law Enforcement Review Committee (LERC) (Times Journal 9/9/2020 “County promises transparency in cop review”) Schoharie County Sheriff Ron Stevens is quoted “I don’t watch the news at night because I can’t stand the news. We don’t live in those communities.” I am assuming the quote is accurate.

I am not sure what Sheriff Stevens’ words “We don’t live in those communities.” mean to him...or us. It might be as simple as we don’t have gatherings of angry citizens protesting police abuse. Does he mean we don’t have a significant people of color demographic which might protest for some reason? Or, does he believe his Deputies would never do anything wrong? Yes we do, yes we do, and yes they do.

Sheriff Stevens is wrong, Schoharie County is one of “those communities.” His deputies display the same damaged-brand-blue-uniform as the police in Kenosha and New Orleans. Certainly there are citizens hereabouts who fear mistreatment by police officers. And, our recent history has shown that the hand of justice falls less heavily, if at all, on police than on ordinary citizens. There is a great deal of repair to be accomplished before the Sheriff, District Attorney, Judicial actors, or the LERC can be exonerated.

The Governor’s Executive Order #203 directs localities to review law enforcement policies and practices to “...promote community engagement to foster trust, fairness, and legitimacy…” We must deal honestly with police transparency and accountability issues to accomplish these goals. Failing this we will have accomplished nothing.

Wayne Stinson

Summit, NY