BALLSTON SPA — Saratoga County Undersheriff Richard Castle said it was a great honor to join his law enforcement colleagues across the nation at the White House in Washington D.C. on Thursday, August 4, as a participant in the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing to discuss the task force’s one-year progress report and bring the knowledge back home to the county. “We had a broad spectrum of people there,” said Castle. “They brought in law enforcement, government, and industry experts to talk about different aspects of the report. The highest-ranking official was Broderick Johnson, assistant to the President and cabinet secretary to the White House. There was the director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services from the Department of Justice, and a police chief from Wilmington, Delaware, which has a large metropolitan police department, among others. We had very different questions, but we found we all had concerns in common.” In a national landscape of concerns about the safety of communities and of police officers in the line of duty, the Task Force on 21st Century Policing was organized by President Obama this past December to study law enforcement policies and procedures across the country and to recommend changes necessary to improve community relations, officer safety and overall effectiveness. The report recommendations are organized around six main pillars: Building Trust and Legitimacy, Policy and Oversight, Technology and Social Media, Community Policing and Crime Reduction, Officer Training and Education, and Officer Safety and Wellness. “This was a phenomenal opportunity for our County to be selected to participate in this discussion at the National level and I am pleased to see that many of our efforts and initiatives over the past three years have been in line with recommendations of the Task Force,” said Saratoga County Sheriff Michael Zurlo. “ Over the next year, Undersheriff Castle will oversee a comprehensive review and update of our policies and procedures to ensure that recommendations of the Task Force are addressed and incorporated where appropriate.” Castle added that the Task Force’s report would be used as a model and point of reference, but that nothing in the report is mandatory. “But in the event of an incident,” said Castle, “the Department of Justice would look to see what steps we’ve taken. We feel very comfortable that we are on the right track and have, at least in part, addressed every one of the key pillars.” Castle said the department wants to continue to work on community relations. “Sheriff Zurlo has made a really big push on that, and it is in line with the technology and social media pillar,” said Castle. “One of our big takeaways is how valuable that is. If you don’t already have a strong social media system in place, it makes it that much harder when an issue arises.” Castle has already been working on converting policies and procedures into a digital application, so officers can access them in real time through an app. “This is especially important when they come across something they may not run into every day,” said Castle. Officers will be able to access what procedure should be followed right at their fingertips, he said. Another pillar the county is taking a closer look at is officer wellness. “We come in, do our job, and go home,” said Castle, “but now we’re looking at longevity, such as nutrition consulting for officers doing 24 hour shifts, things we’ve never had policies on before.” At the White House meeting, Castle said he repeatedly heard from participants that “the recommendations are all great, but who is going to pay for them?” According to Castle, Saratoga County often does not qualify for grants because it doesn’t have a high enough crime rate. “The Task Force’s report is proactive, but all the grant money is reactive,” said Castle. The report’s officer training recommendation is one example. “We can’t keep pulling cops off the street to take these classes – some are 40 hour trainings. Someone has to do the police work,” said Castle. “To do both, that costs money.” Undersheriff Castle has served the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office as a road patrol deputy, sergeant, lieutenant, Chief, and Undersheriff. Undersheriff Castle is an FAA certified commercial pilot and a past officer with the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. For more information about Castle or the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office, visit www.saratogacountysheriff.org or www.facebook.com/saratogacountysheriff. The 21st Century Policing Final Report can be found at http://cops.usdoj.gov/policingtaskforce.