Picente Announces Oneida County's State-Ordered Police Reform Committee

Sheriff Maciol, District Attorney McNamara Part of 13-Member Group

Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. today announced his appointments to the county’s New York State-ordered police reform committee.

The 13-member committee was formed to comply with a statewide executive order from Governor Andrew Cuomo that directed the chief executive of local governments to convene the head of its local police agency and community stakeholders, including the District Attorney’s Office, Public Defender’s Office, and non-profit and faith-based community groups, to perform a comprehensive review of current police deployments, strategies, policies, procedures and practices.

The county group is tasked with developing a plan to improve those aspects in a manner that addresses the particular needs of the communities served by the Oneida County Sherriff’s and the District Attorney’s offices and to promote community engagement to foster trust, fairness and legitimacy, and to address any racial bias and disproportionate policing of communities of color.

“The Oneida County Sheriff’s Office is an accredited law enforcement agency that is held to the highest standards and serves our communities with great dedication and respect,” Picente said. “Together with the law enforcement arm of the District Attorney’s Office, these two entities have always secured the safety of our residents and ensured that justice is equally served. I am certain that together with Sheriff Maciol and District Attorney McNamara and the esteemed leaders that have been assembled in this committee, we will strengthen their policies and procedures even further for the benefit of all of our people.”

The committee members are:

• Anthony J. Picente Jr., Oneida County Executive
• Arthur Atkins, Pastor of Rome Wesleyan Church
• Shelly Callahan, Executive Director of The Center
• Gerald Fiorini, Chairman of the Oneida County Board of Legislators
• Wendy Goetz, Executive Director of the Rescue Mission
• Dietra Harvey, Utica’s Empire State Poverty Reduction Initiative Administrator for United Way of the Mohawk Valley
• Robert Maciol, Oneida County Sheriff
• Sonia Martinez, Executive Director of the Mohawk Valley Latino Association
• Scott McNamara, Oneida County District Attorney
• Frank Nebush, Oneida County Public Defender
• Jacqueline Nelson, President of the Rome NAACP
• Jim Plumley, Owner of Carpenter’s Paint & Hardware
• Dianne Stancato, Chief Executive Officer of the YWCA Mohawk Valley

“The Oneida County Sheriff’s Office is the oldest and largest law enforcement agency in our county, with all three divisions being fully accredited - meeting the highest of standards being set forth by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services and the New York State Sheriff’s Association,” Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol said. “For more than 222 years, the men and women of the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office have proudly served and protected all citizens of our county and we look forward to working with the community and its stakeholders on this committee as we look to everyone’s thoughts on how we can further improve the services and the relationship of the Sheriff’s Office with our people.”

“I look forward to working with this fine group of individuals,” Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamara said.

Per the Governor’s order, the committee’s plan will be offered for public comment, and after consideration of such comments, will be presented to the Oneida County Board of Legislators to adopt the plan by local law or resolution no later than April 1, 2021.

A certification of the law or resolution will then be transmitted to the New York State Director of the Division of Budget to affirm the plan has been adopted in order for the county to be eligible for state and federal funding.