Menu

Safety & Belonging

Community Policing Initiative

Officers and rangers in uniform gathered in a training room for ADI's Community Policing Initiative

ADI works directly with RENZ Consulting, LLC to lead this important initiative. This firm specializes in enhancing police-community relations at the state and local levels and has experience working in both urban and rural settings.

Representatives from local law enforcement agencies, including New York State Troopers, DEC forest rangers, correction officers, and others, have successfully participated in training and workshops.

  • 165+ Officers & DEC Rangers across ALL 14 Adirondack North Country counties

The goal

The goal of this initiative is to enhance the relationship between police agencies and the Adirondack communities they serve. It specifically focuses on addressing and eliminating racial disparities that disproportionately affect Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), as well as other marginalized residents and visitors. Participants will take part in constructive conversations that affirm the role of police agencies in creating safer, healthier communities that are free from racism and inequality.

Goals include:

  • Fostering community involvement in policing
  • Providing expert resources to help with police reform
  • Providing Cultural Consciousness and Anti-Racism education to help achieve more equitable policing

Trainings are ongoing and expanding to additional agencies.

Community Policing Evaluation Report

Building bridges between law enforcement and the communities they serve begins with understanding. Understanding the trauma community members carry, and the trauma officers carry as well. Our work isn’t about telling officers what to think, but empowering them to think critically about their interactions and the lived experiences behind them. When we recognize the deeply subjective nature of trauma on all sides, we create space for more compassionate, effective, and accountable policing.

Dr. Lorenzo Boyd, Founder & President, RENZ Consulting, LLC

Over the past three-and-half years, a notable shift occurred in attitudes and behaviors among officers. Trainers saw firsthand how many of the officers increased levels of awareness to the issues faced by community members. RENZ Consulting, LLC. recognizes that no single training session, or series of training sessions, can fix 400 years of cultural and historical trauma between law enforcement and BIPOC communities. We do, however, feel that the focused and deliberate approach that we have taken to build rapport with officers during these trainings, as well as how we deliver the information is a step in the right direction.

Cover of the Police Training Evaluation report by Renz Consulting, with a sunrise over Lake Flower in Saranac Lake

Police Training Evaluation Report, December 2024PDF, 702 KB, 22 pages

Departments trained since 2020

  • NY State Troopers Troop B
  • DEC Rangers and Environmental Conservation Officers
  • Lake Placid Police Department
  • Potsdam Police Department
  • SUNY Potsdam Campus Police
  • Essex County Sheriff’s Office
  • Essex County Correctional Officers
  • Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office
  • Saranac Lake Police Department
  • Franklin County Sheriff’s Office
  • Warren County Sheriff’s Office
  • SUNY Plattsburgh Police Department
  • Plattsburgh Police Department

This initiative has been made possible, in part, by a generous gift from Lee and Nancy Keet.

From ADI’s calendar