Reimaging Public Safety

The event was meant to be a reconciliatory discussion between community members and police. But many said they felt attendance was lacking among both groups.

Acting Mayor Laura Lewis says given the current job market, she thinks it’s unrealistic for the police department to fill all 15 vacant positions in one year.

There was a lot on the docket during the most recent meeting of the Tompkins County Legislature, plus some debate not tied to any specific motions. Here's a recap.

"A number of comments and emails that we received recently made me feel like I was living in some alternate universe," said Alderperson Ducson Nguyen.

Van Houten said the Reimaging Public Safety working group lacked full understanding of Ithaca’s existing criminal justice system when it authored the report.