The commission will be focused on advancing criminal justice and police reform and will review existing County policies in order to develop a plan outlining needed changes
KINGSTON, N.Y. - Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan today signed an Executive Order establishing a commission to reform policing practices and promote criminal justice in Ulster County. The Ulster County Justice and Reform Commission will convene by the end of June and will focus on critical issues to ensure justice for all residents of Ulster County, including ending mass incarceration, police oversight and accountability, addressing systemic racial bias, and healing divisions between law enforcement and the communities they serve.
“Now is the time to enact real change to address systemic racism and ensure we are providing equal justice for all of our residents,” County Executive Pat Ryan said. “Working alongside stakeholders representing key communities including community activists, religious leaders, young people, law enforcement, and public officials, the Ulster County Justice and Reform Commission will actively listen to the community to create a meaningful plan for implementing needed criminal justice reforms.”
The mission of the group will be to lay out a specific set of policy and legislative changes in Ulster County that will ensure justice for every resident and drive needed reforms in the criminal justice system. The commission will meet regularly over the coming weeks and months, and include a series of public forums to ensure all voices are heard in a transparent fashion. The group will consist of relevant stakeholders including religious leaders, elected officials, law enforcement, community group leaders, and others.
The Ulster County Justice and Reform Commission is made up of the following members:
County Attorney Clint Johnson - Chair
President of the Ulster County Police Chiefs Association Kyle Berardi
President of the Ellenville Chapter of the NAACP Maude Bruce
Kingston City School Board and Pastor of Pointe of Praise Church Rev. James Childs
District Attorney Dave Clegg
Sheriff Juan Figueroa
Ulster County Legislator Heidi Haynes
First Assistant County Attorney Lauren Sheeley
Youth Member Jackson Speller
Executive Director of the Peaceful Guardians Project Lester Strong
Ulster County Legislator Eve Walter
Human Rights Commissioner Tyrone Wilson
Kingston Alderwoman Rita Worthington
Ellenville Village Trustee Ray Younger
Citizen Action Representative
“A diverse, equal and inclusive approach with community engagement will aim to assist law enforcement in creating conditions that enhance communications with the public it serves,” Sheriff Juan Figueroa said. “I look forward to working with the commission members in creating innovative ideas for policing.”
"I look forward to being a member of the commission, and working with the other members of the commission and other stakeholders to come up with solutions that will be collaborative, just, and impactful, as called for by the executive orders of the Governor and our County Executive,” Clinton Johnson, Ulster County Attorney, said.
“I’m grateful for the invitation to participate in Ulster County’s Justice and Reform Commission,” Lester Strong, Executive Director, The Peaceful Guardians Project said. “At this pivotal moment in history, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fully embed in America the creed of equal justice for all Her citizens. This opportunity must be seized.”
“Issues like mass incarceration and systemic racial bias must be addressed on every level of government,” Jackson Speller, youth member of the commission, said. “I am honored and thrilled to be working with Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan and all others on the Justice and Reform commission. I am excited to be working with the youth in Ulster County on these issues and will proudly represent the voices of the young people in this community.”
“I am honored to join the Justice and Reform Commission for Ulster County. I look forward to working with the other members to bring reform where needed,” Ray Younger, Ellenville Village Trustee and Community School Liaison for Ellenville Central Schools said.
“I am pleased to be a part of the Ulster County Justice and Reform Commission. It is time to act,” District Attorney Dave Clegg said. “We can and must address the disproportionality and racial bias that exists in our criminal justice system. From policing to prosecution we need to root out the effects of implicit bias and employ restorative justice practices and community based outreach to foster more community trust and engagement.”
“I am eager to work with County Executive Ryan as a member of the Ulster County Justice and Reform Commission and look forward to seeing the change that will come through this process,” Maude Bruce, President, Ellenville NAACP said.
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Attached photo (From left to right: Ellenville Village Trustee Ray Younger, Human Rights Commissioner Tyrone Wilson, District Attorney Dave Clegg, First Assistant County Attorney Lauren Sheeley, Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan, President of the Ulster County Police Chiefs Association Kyle Berardi, County Attorney Clint Johnson, Sheriff Juan Figueroa, and Youth Member Jackson Speller)
