Questions still surround the Reimagining Public Safety initiatives. The city of Ithaca and Tompkins County plans differ but the same group is helping put them together.

“For over 20 years I worked at the Learning Lab, which is a nonprofit,” said Monalita Smiley, program director for the newly formed Community Justice Center. “I get to do the overseeing the coordination and implementation of 14 of the 20 reimagining public safety plans.”

Chosen for her decades of service and engagement, she's now trying to foster positive changes as well as key in on those who can help.

“I has born and raised here I know a lot of people here in Tompkins County,” she said. “And having worked in the human services field all those years really built quite a few relationships that I were able to lean on to bring some of those individuals in.”

Particularly with the city's reimagining coming under fire, Smiley says plans as well as the organization are still in early development.

“Right now, we're still in the process of building the CJC,” said Smiley. “So we're still in we're gonna hire a data analysis position and an administrative position. So as the CJC is developing, I am still working on building relationships.”

We heard early and often after the initial plan announcements that some were not having their expertise taken advantage of. Smiley and company have been listening.

“As time goes on, and the more planning you know, we do to identify each one of the recommendations, voices will be heard. I mean, it takes a village and so it's going to take this whole community to reimagine public safety and everyone you know, I'm willing to include everyone we need their insight.”

Some have called for more radical change, others question the entirety of it. As a pillar of this community and like so many people she's heard from over the process, Smiley can't impress enough that this is not all or nothing, now or never.

“The whole reimagining Public Safety Initiative is it's a three year plan right now to start,” said Smiley. “And so it's going to take plans anywhere from, you know, six to eight months and that could be even just the planning phase.”

Having to review plans, revisions, new plans, presentations .. it's a lot to take in and still encourage more feedback.

“I mean, it's definitely difficult. One way that I handle it is I don't personalize it,” she added. “It's not against me personally. So I mean, it was pretty much what would you do? What would you like? What would you like to see?”

For a process that has the potential to be lifechanging for more than 30,000 residents and double that for regular college semesters. She says she will continue to ask for patience, but work on more results for a closely watching community.

“We're just in the developing stages, and like I mentioned before, a lot of the data information will be coming available,” noted Smiley. “Once we get that data analysis position filled, and get that person in there. That's going to be a key key factor in sharing other information and you know, providing transparency.”

Smiley also noted she is having more regular communications with the chief of Ithaca Police, Tompkins County sheriff, as well as the district attorney.

Part of the 20 reimagination plans also include opening those comms, recruiting and training officers.