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How Ithaca, New York, Is Rebuilding Its Police Department

The Ithaca Police Department headquarters in Ithaca, New York. (John Munson/AP)
The Ithaca Police Department headquarters in Ithaca, New York. (John Munson/AP)

Since the murder of George Floyd, calls to defund the police have risen to a roar in some communities. Ithica, New York, has decided to “rebuild the police.”

A plan adopted in March will rename the Ithaca Police Department to something like the “Department of Public Safety” — the official name is still being determined — and will create an unarmed division of officers to deal with non-violent crimes.

Here & Now‘s Robin Young speaks with Svante Myrick, mayor of Ithaca, about how the changes are going.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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