The police reform effort in Ithaca is progressing, but also raising questions.

“We all need to be in this together,” Ithaca’s First Ward Alderwoman Cynthia Brock said.

That's easier said than done when it comes to the reimagining public safety in the city, a process that now is under investigation for alleged procedural missteps. The investigation is being led by the Tompkins County ethics review board, which has one Legislator on it, but is made up of community members. 

Brock said she has concerns, but hopes for progress.

“All of us on the council are really eager to look forward and enact change as quickly as possible,” she said. “So as much as I think the process is important, again, we need to make sure we have integrity and accountability in everything we've done up until now.”

Tompkins County District Attorney Matt Van Houten said he would love to be part of the process, citing a leading position in the justice system. It comes with direct influence for reform, but only in a system with a level of trust.

“So often, there are cases that are difficult to solve and difficult to prosecute because the evidence is not there,” he said. “Because people don't want to cooperate, and they don't trust necessarily the police.”

Van Houten said he was told he’d be able to play a major role, but that changed.

“I reached out to the co-chairs on multiple occasions, and was essentially told they will call you when we need you, and they never called me,” he said.

Community Justice Center Program Director Monalita Smiley said talks with Van Houten have started in some capacity.

Meanwhile, Van Houten said police and prosecutors are willing to contribute.

“That's something that requires us to come to the table with some humility and with some open-mindedness, and with the goal of being better,” Van Houten said.

That goal is something community advocate Levon Brewer is all about.

“There was some level of crime, but for me, coming from Chicago, it was OK. That’s nothing, no problem,” said Brewer.

Twenty-one years after moving to Ithaca, he’s seen change and said he is against sweeping reforms.

“Sometimes there are decisions made that we don't get it right. And I feel this reimagining of the police, we did not get it right,” he said.

Brewer said IPD has made a commitment to more training and more community efforts over the years.

“If I'm walking the streets, I feel safe if I know that the police out here,” he added.

He’d love to see a referendum on the process.

“We really do not know what the level of approval is for this reimagining,” Brewer said.

“We don't want to detract from our objective, which is implementing the kinds of changes that we all support, including members of the police department,” said Brock. “And the only way we're going to achieve that is by having everyone's full participation in this process.”