SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — This morning the Common Council met to discuss potential plans for the use of the remaining federal COVID-19 funds.
Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens proposed a $4 million public safety plan that would be divided equally and used for fire departments and police departments.
From the plan Owens stressed the importance of the money for the police departments.
Owens wants to set aside part of the $2 million for non-lethal forms of police enforcement.
“No one wants to see a situation where we have officers dis-launching their weapons. The police force does not have a taser program, so we’re looking at those as less lethal methods of engagement with the folks in the event that they’re needed and we hope they’re never needed,” she said.
Of the $2 million, Owens also wants $350,000 to be put towards a diversionary response team.
“There are many opportunities that we have where police, our police officer should not be the first person on the scene,” Owens said.
Owens hopes to have the pilot program for the response team launched this fall.
“It is not going to be cheap, but we’re hoping that we can pilot something to learn, this fall, from that pilot to know exactly what we need and what that price tag would be,” she said.
The conversations for these proposals will continue on Thursday.
