Police Accountability Board

Members of the Police Accountability Board on Tuesday called on city officials to include them in ongoing investigations following the death of Daniel Prude after he was restrained and suffocated while in custody. He died a week later.

The civilian-run board, which was established to investigate police misconduct, has been excluded from deliberations over the Rochester Police Department, board chair Shani Wilson said. She said that undermines the point of having an accountability board.

Rochester City Council is appealing a court decision that struck down the fledgling Police Accountability Board’s disciplinary powers, stripping it of a key function.

In a filing submitted Friday to the state Appellate Division court, City Council disputes state Supreme Court Justice John Ark’s May 7 decision in a case brought by the Rochester Police Locust Club, the union representing Rochester police officers, challenging the board’s creation and powers. Ark ruled that the board cannot discipline officers or conduct hearings in disciplinary matters

Rochester Police Chief La’Ron Singletary sat down with the city’s Police Accountability Board for the first time Thursday. That independent board was approved by voters last year to provide oversight for the department and investigate police misconduct claims.

Among the topics that came up were transparency, the internal culture of policing and calls to defund the Rochester police department. Singletary said he’s against it.

Members of Rochester City Council and concerned community members are calling for a deeper look into the incident between a 10-year-old girl and city police. 

Rochester police arrested three people during a traffic stop on Route 104 Sunday. , Rochester Police Chief La’Ron Singletary says during that stop, officers handcuffed a 10-year-old girl who was in the car to assist in “controlling her actions and for the safety of everyone involved."

New York State Supreme Court Judge John Ark said that Local Law Number 2 which created the board for the city of Rochester will not stand. That law was passed by City Council last May and overwhelmingly approved by voters in November.

The City of Rochester is looking for someone to lead the independent Police Accountability Board. A job opening for the executive director of the board was posted on the city’s website.

The controversial board was approved by voters in November and was expected to have the power to investigate and punish police officers who it deemed guilty of misconduct.

By unanimous vote Tuesday night, Rochester City Council appointed the first-ever members of the new Police Accountability Board.

The initial board will consist of the Rev. Matthew Nickoloff, Ida Perez, Rabbi Drorah Setel, Dr. Robert Harrisson III, Jonathan Dollhopf, Miquel Powell, Dr. Celia McIntosh, Shani Wilson, and the Rev. Dr. Rickey B. Harvey.

“These are outstanding, excellent,” Council President Loretta Scott said of the selections. “The level of diversity across numerous fields I think was really, really impressive.”