At its meeting Thursday, Jan. 23, the Oneonta Community Police Board postponed approving a confidentiality agreement until clarifications can be made to the document.
Established in 2021 after then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo required each local government to adopt a policing reform plan, the purpose of the Community Police Board is to provide city residents with an avenue to express their thoughts and concerns about the Oneonta Police Department and to provide suggestions for policy improvements.
The board meets quarterly or as needed to report its findings. The board met three times in 2024 and four times in 2023.
The board can recommend rules, bylaws and regulations to the police chief, but the chief would determine whether those recommendations will be implemented. The city provides a complaint form and the police department provides a civilian complaint form.
Since CPB members may have access to confidential information regarding police investigations, the confidentiality agreement would prevent board members from disclosing information that could compromise the investigations or safety of the people involved.
After The Daily Star raised a question about the definition of the term “confidential information,” the board debated its implications, as well as another caveat in the agreement about the board members’ ability to discuss sensitive information with each other.
The board eventually tabled the confidentiality agreement.
Board chairperson Ari Tobi said that she feels the CPB is “underused.”
“We need to be more out there than we are and we’ve talked about this before,” Tobi said. “What is our role in the community? So with this confidentiality concern, we’re kind of restricted on what we can do, or what we are allowed to do, for the city. Are we just going to sit here until you get the information kind of broad? Or we are proactive … We are very busy and committed people who have given and devoted our expertise and time to be here, to serve our community. So if we’re not useful, based on the fact that we’re just here and not getting information, then we need to understand what the review board was all about.”
The board reviewed its engagement with the community during the year 2024, including participation in community events like Earth Day and student orientations.
The board also discussed improving its social media presence and public relations efforts to enhance transparency and community trust for this year’s goals
Oneonta Police Chief Christopher Witzenburg usually attends CPB meetings, but was absent Thursday due to illness, Tobi said.