ITHACA, N.Y. (WHCU) – Developing new strategies to recruit and retain law enforcement officers in Tompkins County.

The Community Justice Center’s working group, comprised of law enforcement leadership and community members, has begun the Reimagining Public Safety work plans outlined in 2022 and 2023.

“It is harder than ever to find talented people who want a career in law enforcement, this is one opportunity to expand our reach and find new ways to encourage talented people from all backgrounds to consider this career,” said Tompkins County Sheriff Derek Osborne. “Working in law enforcement is an excellent way to make a difference in the community, every day we are out there helping people. I know that we have more people who want a rewarding career that gives them those opportunities. Diversifying staff at the Sheriff’s Office has been a goal of ours, and I hope the outcomes of this plan will be to give us more tools and ways to find and keep officers committed to the goals of our office.”

The working group is inviting the public to share ideas that could help increase diversity in law enforcement.

“Having a more diverse local police force would have a huge impact,” said Community Justice Center Project Director Monalita Smiley. “We’re looking to find and fund strategies that can ultimately increase trust between the community and law enforcement, employ more officers with diverse lived experiences around race, gender, and sexuality, and to retain officers who are able to develop and keep lasting community relationships. Hopefully, the outcomes of our work will go beyond ideas on how to advertise positions. We’re looking for new ways to do this, so we’re asking the community for their creativity.”

Director of Human Resources for the City of Ithaca, Shelley Michell-Nunn, hopes community input will ultimately lead to more people interested in the career.

“From a human resources perspective, recruiting law enforcement officers has been extremely challenging,” said Michell-Nunn. “We’re looking for your ideas. Members of our community can share with us ideas and strategies to encourage someone to consider a career path into law enforcement. Law enforcement is a stable, rewarding, and impactful career, so we’re trying to uncover ways to highlight that and get more people interested in this work.”