Letter: CSSJC Demands Social Justice Commitment from Amherst Police Chief

The following letter from the Community Safety and Social Justice Committee (CSSJC) was sent to the Town Manager, Town Council and Amherst Police Chief on May 8 2024.

Amherst has again invested time and money into research that has been pushed aside, resorting to the familiar, rather than seizing opportunity for new directions. In the recent Amherst Police Department (APD) Police Chief search, a consulting team was called in by the town. They held well-attended focus groups and targeted listening sessions. We were assured by the consulting team that our feedback was going to be taken into consideration. Therefore, it is troubling that during the candidate forum, the union representative for the police department identified their support for Chief Ting because of his ability to maintain what other chiefs have done before him.  Again and again the feedback was for change, specifically from the BIPOC community, and in the end, the internal candidate was appointed. Our voices have once again been silenced. While we are disappointed that following a nationwide search, the town is maintaining the status quo, we are committed to working with the new chief to foster change and we expect that he will be open to those changes. 

The Chief of Police search was happening concurrent to research by a consultant, Rabbi Deb Kolodny, regarding community perceptions of policing and the need for a Resident Oversight Board.  This research reiterated what 7 Generation Movement Collective, consultant group to the Community Safety Working Group, had previously reported. BIPOC community members have not felt well served, safe, or protected by the current Amherst Police Department, and many shared experiences of racial profiling and intimidation.  One respondent stated;

“It is my impression that not much has changed at the APD. The leadership continues to think all is fine, and some, not all, of the rank and file officers continue to be employed on the force while holding racially prejudiced attitudes that from time to time show up in their behavior, sometimes with serious negative consequences for BIPOC members of the public.”

As the saying goes, “hope” is the last thing to die. Since there isn’t much else to hold onto these days, we hold on to hope. We hope that Chief Ting will be amenable to change. We hope Chief Ting will collaborate, not only with other public safety departments, but with the community. We hope Chief Ting will accept feedback on how the APD can better serve the community. We hope Chief Ting will encourage the department to step back from some of its current duties to allow CRESS to address non-violent calls. We hope Chief Ting will listen to BIPOC voices and the voices of those who are most marginalized in Amherst.

Specifically, we demand that Chief Ting:

1. Work with CSSJC, Amherst Human Rights Commission (HRC) and other social justice focused groups/committees in Amherst to make Amherst a more inclusive, safe, and equitable place to live and thrive.
2. In collaboration with the CRESS Director and Dispatch, identify a broader portion of call types for CRESS response that includes CRESS responding to all non-violent calls. This needs to happen now.
3. In collaboration with the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Department, support the creation of a Resident Oversight Board.
4. Declare that the Amherst Police Department will be an anti-racist department. Share a plan as to how and when that will happen. Lead the Amherst Police Department in implementing a culture of anti-racism.
5. Review and revise department policies in accordance with the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP) report, including:
   1. Use of Force (rewrite)
   2. Consent Searches during motor vehicle stops (eliminate and prohibit)
   3. Low-level and pretext stops (racial profiling) (eliminate and prohibit).
6. Create an online dashboard that provides transparent, easy public access to data on vehicle stops by race.
7. Decouple traffic enforcement from the police department. Until that happens, if drivers are stopped by the APD, inform them of the reason they were stopped and inform them of their rights. Ensure audio and video recording of all traffic stops.
8. Pilot confirmation of racial identity rather than assumption.
9. Review the necessity of sector policing through a data-driven evaluation.

These recommendations will work towards streamlining the department to better serve everyone in Amherst.  This committee does not advocate for terminating anyone, but through natural attrition.

Community Safety and Social Justice Committee of the Town of Amherst