A statement issued today by City of Batavia Police Chief Shawn Heubusch in response to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order mandating that all New York police agencies must revise their policies and procedures by April 2021 or risk losing state and/or federal funding:
“The Batavia Police Department is working towards New York State accreditation and follows all of the most current policies and procedures from the Division of Criminal Justice Services and the Municipal Police Training Council (MPTC) with regards to Use of Force and other policies governing police services.
“The BPD remains dedicated to community involvement and community policing. The men and women in the BPD seek to identify and de-escalate problems as they arise among residents and they take their duty to protect and server seriously. The officers in the City of Batavia are dedicated, professional, public servants who serve the community every day to the best of their abilities.
“After reviewing the Governor’s new executive order with the City Manager’s Office, I feel that we as a department are well positioned to move forward to enhance our police services. We have most of the polices and “evidence-based policing strategies” in place here in our City.
The BPD will continue to seek community input and will look forward to working with City management, the City Attorney, City Council, City leaders, City residents and our collective associations in regards to the executive order.”
On Monday, The Batavian posted a statement from Genesee County Sheriff William Sheron in response to the Executive Order.
