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Police chief outlines outreach-driven community policing, peer support and deflection programs
Summary
Chief Kelly told the board the department is prioritizing deflection and partnerships — LEAD, a clinician-staffed care team, overdose follow-up and a violence interrupter contract — and reported declines in several crime categories. He described efforts to add peer-support and officer-wellness programs after recent line-of-duty traumas.
Chief Kelly told the Tompkins County board the department has shifted toward partnership-based work that connects people to services instead of defaulting to arrest.
“One of our big focuses is really deflecting people from law enforcement,” Chief Kelly said, describing partnerships with Reach Medical, Whole Health and other outreach groups. He said the department tries to bring “as many people as we can to the table” and named several programs staff use to connect residents with sustained care.
Kelly described the LEAD model’s weekly clinician check-ins for people identified by officers, courts or community members, and a care team that includes a clinician from Whole Health assigned to the police department to help coordinate clinical follow-up with hospitals and providers. He also described an overdose‑response follow-up window, in which peers and partners try to contact people in the 24–48 hour period after an overdose to offer treatment referrals.
“Sometimes now that the officers know they’re in a LEAD program, when the call goes out … we hear the name, we’re like, ‘Oh, they’re on LEAD,’” Chief Kelly said, explaining how information-sharing reduces repeated police contact for people engaged in services.
Kelly gave context for the department’s workload: about 23,000 calls for service last year, a roughly 50% decline in reported part‑one violent crimes from the prior comparable period and a 16% drop in property crimes. “Those numbers really don’t tell the story,” he added, saying the decreases track with more outreach and coordination.
Board members asked about supports for officers’ mental health after recent losses in the region. Kelly said the department has established a peer‑support team, a designated wellness officer and regional partnerships (EAP/EOP) to provide confidential support. He confirmed the department is still working through the aftermath of a recent lieutenant’s suicide and emphasized the importance of time to process traumatic scenes.
A participant who has worked closely with the care team praised its effect. “Kristen in particular on the care team is an enormous asset to our community,” the participant said, adding that the officer‑clinician relationships make field work and follow-up more effective.
The chief also described contract work for a violence interrupter program that hires individuals with lived experience to do outreach, and said many of the community‑facing successes are not widely publicized but produce measurable reductions in repeat calls.
The board followed the presentation with questions about coordination among agencies and a discussion of how programs like LEAD and the care team are structured. The department plans to continue expanding clinician involvement and peer supports for officers and community responders.
