Broome County Sheriff weighs in on ‘International Day Against Police Brutality’

BINGHAMTON (WBNG) -- March 15 is “International Day Against Police Brutality” a day of solidarity against police brutality around the world.

The day has been recognized internationally since 1997 but has gained further attention in the US after instances in recent years.

Broome County Sherrif Fred Akshar said police brutality is something that has no place in our society and men and women in uniform must hold themselves to a higher standard.

Since he was sworn into office in January, Akshar has taken preventative measures against police brutality.

He said these measures include the ban on chokeholds and knees near the neck during arrests and interactions between officers and civilians.

He added that one of his first acts in office was to begin a re-education program for officers.

“We very specifically are re-educating our staff on three important components of serving the community,” said Akshar. “We are educating on duty to re-intervene, we are re-educating on de-escalation and we are re-educating on implicit bias.”

Referring to a hit-and-run that killed a 13-year-old boy, Akshar said he was reminded of how well-trained and dedicated the men and women of the Broome County Sheriff’s Office were. The incident occurred on Akshar’s first day in office.

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