RyeCity REVIEW THE
February 26, 2021 | Vol. 9, Number 9 | www.ryecityreview.com
County board begins police reform review
Camp time! Westchester County, which is scheduled to reopen its camp this year, started registration on Feb. 18. For more, see page 10.
GridRewards program targets Westchester residents, businesses GridReward, a groundbreaking program and accompanying free, mobile app that pays users up to 20% of their annual energy bill for reducing usage at peak demand hours will expand its imprint throughout Westchester County, following a successful summer pilot program initiated by Sustainable Westchester. Any Con Edison customer can participate in this first-of-itskind, cash-payout energy efficiency program by downloading the GridRewards app via the App Store or Google Play. Working in partnership with Con Edison by leveraging smart meter technology, the GridRewards app prompts users to take simple electricity reducing actions during high de-
mand time periods, earning cash for participants and diminishing the need of pollution-inducing “peaker” powerplants. After a successful summer pilot in 2020, where participants earned hundreds of dollars for energy saving actions, Sustainable Westchester is rolling out GridRewards as a long-term initiative to keep the most polluting “peaker” powerplants off the grid. The award-winning technology was developed by AI technology leader Logical Buildings. “The partnership adds another first to market solution for Westchester residents,” says Michel Delafontaine, director of Business Development. “It brings a solution that helps build toward a
clean energy future for our municipal members and their residents. GridRewards has the unique ability to offer residents the opportunity to reduce energy usage, save money, lower their carbon footprint and earn real cash. How it Works When energy is peaking on the grid, Con Edison pays GridRewards participants to help curb usage. Simple actions, such as raising cooling setpoints by 4 degrees for a handful of designated periods in the summer, can earn a check in the mail. Additional activities, like dimming lights, avoiding electric hot water heating, and unplugging energy-intensive appliances, will add to these cash rewards and,
concurrently, lower monthly utility bills. Without having to invest in hardware or equipment of any sort, Con Edison customers who have smart meters can watch their energy usage drop in real time on the app. Following the successful pilot program this past summer, the program roll-out was launched in conjunction with the free app in the fall. Consumers in the pilot program received an average of $200 in cash or 20% of their annual electric bill. To date, more than three million smart meters have been installed in the New York Tri-State area by Con Edison, all of which are accessible through the app. (Submitted)
The Westchester County Board of Legislators has begun its formal review of the county’s Police Reform and Reimagining Task Force report, with plans to adopt a police reinvention document by March 22. The review is being led by the board’s Committee on Public Safety, which met Monday, Feb. 15 to hear from Task Force cochairs Mayo Bartlett and Leroy Frazer. Public Safety Committee Chairman Colin Smith said Monday’s meeting is just the beginning. The review will include weekly Public Safety Committee meetings as well as a chance for the public to comment on the report by mail and email as well as during a Webex teleconference public input session on Wednesday, March 10 at 7 p.m.Under an Executive Order from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, all municipalities statewide must adopt a police reform and reinvention plan to be certified by the state by April 1. “We are extremely cognizant of the Governor’s timeline for adoption,” Smith said. “We are also cognizant of the opportunity we have to build on the outstanding work of our Public Safety Department to make policing in Westchester County better, more equitable and more modern.“This is only the first step in an ongoing process—a blueprint for structural and systemic change in the recruitment, training and accountability measures used by our law enforcement agencies,” he added. “Establishing new processes and enacting legislation will take time. But the frank and cooperative efforts of commu-
nity members, law enforcement, lawmakers and other public officials that produced this report will be a model for us going forward.” Board Chairman Ben Boykin said, “The historic moment that we find ourselves in, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the public outcry over his death and the deaths of so many others, has presented us with a rare opportunity. It’s a moment we must seize to make us all better. I’m gratified that the work of this Task Force has been so broad and so cooperative, and I am sure Legislator Smith and the Public Safety Committee’s review will be similarly broad and cooperative. In the end I know we will adopt a plan that will make Westchester a better place and stand as an example that positive change is possible through cooperation and good will.” Among the recommendations in the Task Force report are: implicit bias and intercultural competency training for law enforcement personnel; formal review of the county Department of Public Safety’s use of social media for branding and community outreach; the possible creation of community liaisons; increased multi-lingual communications; training in implicit bias and restorative justice for school resource officers; joint de-escalation training with the Department of Correction; increased Police Academy training in procedural justice, cultural diversity and bias-related crimes; creation of a County Office of Police Accountability; and more. REFORM continued on page 8