WHO’S NEXT? City To Search For Next IPD Chief Amidst Reimagining Tumult
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By M att Dougherty
n the wake of nationwide outrage at the murder of George Floyd — which sparked conversations about systemic racism and the impact the police have on minoritized communities — the City of Ithaca began reimagining public safety and are now in the process of choosing a new police chief that will follow through on those goals. After former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued Executive Order 203, the New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative, former Mayor Svante Myrick introduced the idea of reimagining public safety in a GQ article published in February 2021. In the article, Myrick announced a proposal to create a Department of Solutions and Public Safety staffed with civilian responders to work alongside the Ithaca Police Department. The Common Council voted eight to two July 6, in favor of accepting the Reimagining Public Safety Working Groups plan and implementing portions of it while continuing to seek out public input and further review the process. As a result of approving the resolution, a civilian leadership position will be established with authority designated by the mayor to oversee the city’s new public safety response systems. This civilian leader will have the title of Commissioner of Community Safety and have authority over the Department of Community Safety and its team of civilian first responders. The commissioner and the chief of police will work together to transition to this reimagined version of public safety and change the culture of the Ithaca Police Department. However, it is uncertain who will fill these positions.
Th e C i t y w i l l s o o n d e c i d e w h o i s g o i n g t o s u p e rv i s e t h e I P D t h r o u g h t h e c h a l l e n g i n g “ r e i m ag i n i n g p e r i o d” i n i t s h i s t o ry. ( P h o t o : J o s h B a l d o) Over the last number of years, the City of Ithaca has seen an intense turnover rate amongst their police chiefs. Throughout Myrick's decade-long run as the mayor of Ithaca, the police department went through four different police chiefs. Acting Chief John Joly has served in the Ithaca Police Department for over 15 years and has been the chief of police for about one year
REVOLVING DOOR? Ithaca has had 23 acting or sworn police chiefs in 134 years. That averages out to a term of about six years, which is quite impressive if you just compare it to the typical tenure of two to three years for a police chief. However, included in these numbers is the extraordinary 34 year run in office of William Marshall from 1916 to 1950, and the split terms of both Walter Pagliaro and Lauren E. Signer. For a “roll call” of IPD chiefs pictured on the cover and their dates of service see page 18. 10 T
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and four months. In addition, former Chief Dennis R. Nayor served for just over one and a half years. According to the Los Angeles Times, the average tenure for a police chief ranges from two to three years. The City of Ithaca has not retained a chief of police for longer than two years since John Barber served in the position from June 2013 to December 2017. Joly could not be reached to comment and it remains unclear if he is still being considered by the police chief search committee. However, he has previously expressed concern about the lack of clarity surrounding the reimagining public safety process. Ithaca is an economically and socially diverse city that has made efforts to change the culture of the police force over the
years by bringing in chiefs from outside. For example, Nayor was the Director of Research, Development, and Training for the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police prior to serving as chief of police in Ithaca. He also served for over 21 years with the City of Oneonta Police Department. Nayor came to the job focused on promoting the six pillars of professional 21st century policing by training officers to focus on crime prevention through building trust and legitimacy with the community. During his time as chief of police, he led the department through months of civil unrest sparked by the murder of George Floyd, police reforms in accordance with New York State Executive Order 203, the pandemic, and numerous high-profile in-
