To the editor:

The Saranac Lake village board unanimously voted to approve funding for Lexipol, a private, for-profit company that helps police departments create policy.

This decision was made after an unscheduled presentation and Q&A session with Lexipol Program Manager Mike Ranalli. Mr. Ranalli’s presence at the meeting was a shock to those of us in attendance, as his name did not appear on the agenda.

In retrospect, it’s not difficult to see why the village board decided to conceal this information from us. Of course the village board doesn’t want you to know its policing “expert” has bent over backward defending cops who kill civilians.

Of course the village board doesn’t want you to know its policing “expert,” and Lexipol as an organization, opposes the mandatory use of deescalation tactics. Lexipol’s position contradicts the policy recommendations made by the National Consensus Policy on Use of Force, a collaborative effort of 11 law enforcement organizations.

Not to my surprise, Mr. Ranalli couldn’t even handle the softballs lobbed to him by the village board. In fact, it appears Mr. Ranalli gave the village board false information regarding Lexipol’s copyright policy.

Mr. Ranalli reassured the board that the village could keep any manuals created by Lexipol should their contract be terminated. This does not appear to be true.

According to Lexipol’s Terms and Conditions, “Upon expiration or termination of this Agreement, all of the rights granted to Agency by this Agreement to the subscriptions identified in Exhibit A shall automatically terminate.”

Mr. Ranalli did not tell the village board this at Monday’s meeting. I’d encourage you to watch the recording of the meeting, but it is still not available to the public.

Mayor Rabideau has told me that it is the village board’s duty to consult experts so that the board can have all of their questions answered. This is necessary for the board to make an informed decision. This hasn’t happened yet in regard to Bill 74.

In my view, the vote should be immediately nullified based on this information.

This situation perfectly encapsulates the problem with Lexipol’s for-profit business model. Mr. Ranalli presented the village board with false information because Lexipol’s top priority is money, not our health, safety and well-being.

Regardless of the village board’s next move, you will hear a lot about “liability risk management” over the coming weeks. Let’s be perfectly clear about what this means.

In the context of Lexipol and other private policing policy companies, “liability risk management” means writing intentionally vague policies and implementing the bare minimum legal standards possible.

If the village board has its way, it will be almost impossible for you and your neighbors to sue the village or the police department if you’re a victim of police misconduct.

Moving forward, it is imperative that the village take the time to listen to residents and actual law enforcement experts.

Gov. Cuomo tasked us all with the reinvention of the police. Let’s start to think creatively for a change.

David Lynch

Saranac Lake

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Sources:

https://www.lexipol.com/resources/blog/responses-common-arguments-police-use-deadly-force/

https://www.lexipol.com/terms-and-conditions/

https://texaslawreview.org/lexipol/

https://www.theiacp.org/sites/default/files/all/n-o/National_Consensus_Policy_On_Use_Of_Force.pdf

https://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2020/08/lexipol-police-policy-company/