The
Elmira/Corning Branch
NAACP
Criminal Justice Forum
The Elmira/Corning Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), in partnership with the Alliance of Interdenominational Ministers (AIM), and The Economic Opportunity Program, Inc (EOP), will sponsor a Criminal Justice Forum on Monday, August 28, 2006, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., in the EOP Boardroom, located at 650 Baldwin Street, Elmira, New York. Program participants will include Mr. Scott Drake, Elmira, Police Chief, Mr. Trentanelli, Corning, Police Chief, Judge Brockway and Judge Ramich of Elmira, NY., Attorney Richard Rich and others. This activity is designed to provide a forum for all members of the community to come and dialogue with key criminal justice leaders. The public is encouraged to come out and support this event.
Article from StarGazette.com (August 29, 2006)
More minority police officers urged at forum
By Jeff Murray
Lack of minority representation in law enforcement and overrepresentation of minorities in jail cells were among the hot points Monday night when the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and other groups hosted a criminal justice forum in Elmira.
The forum at the Economic Opportunity Program Inc. headquarters was co-sponsored by EOP and the Alliance of Interdenominational Ministers.
Invited participants included Elmira Police Chief W. Scott Drake III, Elmira City Court Judge Thomas Ramich, Chemung County Family Court Judge David Brockway and attorney Richard W. Rich, Jr.
Several speakers questioned why there are no minorities on the Elmira police force.
"How many black officers are there? Zero. That's a problem," said the Rev. Cephus McGee, pastor of All Saints Home Church of God In Christ in Elmira. "Those in charge of hiring need to have dialogue with certain people who represent African-Americans. Maybe the test system is another problem."
Drake responded that he is actively working to attract more minorities and pointed out that there is a civil service test in December, which anyone can take if they are a high school graduate, a U.S. citizen and have a driver's license.
"We are aggressively trying to address that problem. I recognize it's a problem," Drake said. "The mayor and I were approached by the Boy Scouts about starting a criminal justice explorer program. It would start at Elmira Free Academy and partner youth with police officers."
Linda Truesdale of Corning told the group of the hostility she encountered as a young black correction officer at the Elmira Correctional Facility many years ago, and said she was totally unprepared for that environment.
There needs to be better outreach to youths to promote better relationships between law enforcement and the minority community, Truesdale said.
"I think we need to build mentorships in grade schools. We've got to be more hands-on," she said. "We've got to be able to communicate it's not us against them."
Several people complained police officers often take a confrontational attitude when they question minorities.
In the end, organizers agreed to research statistics to find out how Elmira and other local communities compare with the nation when it comes to minority issues involving the criminal justice system.
Then it's a matter of continuing the dialogue and taking action, said Georgia Verdier, president of the NAACP Elmira-Corning chapter.
"We know the problems. How do we solve these problems?" Verdier said. "Let's get busy, and ask, 'What am I going to do to make a difference?' Don't just talk about it."