Great Barrington — The Selectboard reviewed potential additions to the town’s Trust Policy at its meeting on Monday, February 9.
The current Trust Policy was first adopted by voters at the May 2017 Town Meeting to address federal enforcement and actions by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and its agents.
The policy was spearheaded by the local organization Multicultural BRIDGE and drafted by its CEO, Gwendolyn VanSant.
At the February 9 meeting, VanSant presented the board with the draft additions to the policy and emphasized to the board that the current policy would not be changed. “The original Trust Policy is modeled after other sanctuary city [policies], and it is relevant to our town,” she explained. “There are some issues [in the policy] that need more clarity. Our Trust Policy is motivated by immigration issues, but we are also thinking about all the vulnerable populations or people in the protected class categories. These additions are not meant to replace, amend, or expand the original policy. It’s providing guidance and a little bit more procedures so we can work towards being in more alignment and deeper collaboration with the Police Department and the town. We want to really clarify roles and expectations and really build trust. ”
As proposed, the additions are divided into five different categories.
Under the category of “Community Policing and Community Relationships,” the first proposed Trust Policy addition would establish a community police academy, ongoing community education forums, along with joint training for police, town staff, and community partners on procedural justice, bias awareness, trauma-informed response, and de-escalation procedures.
The policy also calls for “dedicated annual funding to ensure broad and equitable community participation.” However, the draft policy does not state how much money would go toward the proposed programs.
“A citizen police academy is a way in which people in the community can learn about the Police Department and how it operates,” VanSant explained. “[Through the academy] the Police Department can begin to develop trust and relationships in diverse communities.”
The second addition, under the category “Community Accountability and Trust Policy Partnerships,” would “formalize relationships with trusted community organizations that possess cultural, linguistic, and trauma-informed expertise beyond the scope of law enforcement.”
This proposed addition mandates:
- The Police Department maintain “an updated nonprofit and community partner contact list for vulnerable populations, based on mutual commitment and shared expectations”;
- Regular consultations between the department and community organizations; and
- The creation of referral pathways for “needs beyond law enforcement capacity” for immigration-related assistance, social work, care navigation, language access and interpretation, and cultural mediation.
The third addition, under the category “ICE Notification, Identification and Community Alert Protocols,” would establish procedures for the Police Department to follow when they are notified or become aware of ICE activity in the vicinity of the town, including:
- Maintaining a limited police presence “for safety and de-escalation purposes only”;
- A procedure to verify “the presence of federal agents, including identification and vehicle information, when feasible and consistent with law”; and
- A “post incident closeout” report, including whether or not individuals were taken by ICE, if they were detained “for purposes of appropriate community notification and support.”
The fourth category, “Strategic Plan and Budget Alignment,” recommends that the town align its strategic planning and budget priorities with Trust Policy implementation through various methods, including:
- Integration of the goals of the policy into the town’s strategic plan “with provisions for proactive ongoing budget allocations”;
- Ongoing budget allocations for justice, safety, access and efficiency, along with the “continued investment in public safety capacity”; and
- Operational upgrades for the Police Department “that supports safety, efficiency, and trust perception” (the draft Trust Policy addition does not list what those operational upgrades would entail).
The final section, “Data, Privacy, and State-Level Accountability,” would “[a]cknowledge and address how state and federal data systems impact local trust, and align town practices and advocacy accordingly.”
This section of the draft Trust Policy addition outlines several actions but does not include specifics on implementation. The proposed actions include transparency about the limits of local authority, local “data minimization practices,” and documentation and awareness of enforcement activities.
Selectboard Chair Steve Bannon said the proposed Trust Policy revisions would be posted on the town’s website and the town would seek comments from the public.
The Selectboard will revisit the proposed additions at its meeting on Monday, March 9.
Click here for the proposed additions to the Trust Policy.
Click here for the original 2017 Trust Policy.
