I count myself as one of the majority of residents who is proud of our City of Amsterdam Police Department and believes that overall, they are doing a great job. While protests and riots sparked by the death of George Floyd and other incidents of Black people dying while in police custody erupted in our major cities last year, things in Amsterdam remained peaceful. I believe the large, peaceful demonstration held in front of the city’s public safety building last summer was a great example of the comparatively good relations our officers have with the community.
In response to the growing calls for reform within America’s police departments, Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order on June 12, 2020 requiring every police department in New York State to conduct a comprehensive review of their operations and policies, seek input from the public as to problems that may exist in their jurisdictions, and issue a plan addressing those problems.