Principals & Mission Statement
The work of the White Plains Police Reform Committee has been informed by three overarching and intertwined principles: Procedural Justice, Sanctity of Life, and the
Police Reform Committee
In late 2020, The City of White Plains formed a Police Reform Committee in response to Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order 203, “New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative.”
Subsequent to the Executive Order, New York State issued detailed guidance for the Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative to all jurisdictions with police departments.
The White Plains Police Reform Committee utilized this guidance to review the needs of the White Plains Community served by its police department, evaluated the department’s current policies and practices, involved the full White Plains community in the discussion, developed policy recommendations resulting from this review, offered a plan for public comment, and presented that plan to the White Plains Common Council at a special meeting on March 10, 2021.
The introductory text and recommendations contained in the sections below are taken from the final report of the White Plains Police Reform Committee. Current implementation status then noted. These pages will continue to be updated to reflect ongoing implementation efforts.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS
Training & Equipment
Training is, by far, one of the most important facets to policing. The lack of necessary training, specifically in de-escalation, is believed to be the
Transparency & Accountability
Public outrage over acquittals in cases of blatant police brutality is at the core of our pain. Holding police officers and departments more accountable for
Qualifications, Recruitment & Retention
Getting the right police officer with the right mindset is key to police reform. The goal of these Qualifications, Recruitment and Retention recommendations is to
Community Engagement
Community engagement makes policing more understanding of and responsive to local communities through the process of consultation, partnership, and collaboration. Investing time and resources in
Policies & Procedures
A police department’s policies and procedures provide important guidance to its officers on every aspect of their jobs. The policies and procedures must be continuously
Statement from Police Chief Joseph P. Castelli
The White Plains Police Department, which continually strives to evaluate and improve itself, with the impetus of the Reform Committee process and recommendations, has also engaged in the following goals outside of the recommendations of the Reform committee
- Complete review of all policies and procedures to provide most accurate guidance to officers and clarity to the public
- Mediation referrals through Westchester/Rockland mediation to minimize repeat police involvement in minor, non criminal disputes, disagreements, and civil matters.
- Involvement with Faith to Blue community enhancement program.
The White Plains Police Department endeavors to always seek to be a department that better serves all in the community, and will continue to evaluate the way we provide policing as well as any programs, partnerships, and ideas that promote a better relationship and understanding between our communities and law enforcement.
City of White Plains Department of Public Safety
- (914) 422-6111
- 77 So. Lexington Avenue
White Plains, NY 10601