rochester police department

After the city of Rochester released an advisory over the weekend about possible coronavirus exposure at a recent protest, activists said that some Rochester police officers who responded were not wearing masks.

On Sunday, the City of Rochester reported that there may have been an exposure risk at a protest outside of 57 Glasgow St., where a court-ordered eviction was taking place. 

Protesters at the Dec. 18 eviction blockade said Rochester police officers who were not wearing face masks posed the greater risk of coronavirus spread.

A grand jury is hearing from the New York Attorney General’s office in the case of Daniel Prude.

The case got national attention when body camera footage showed Prude suffocating while being restrained by Rochester Police in March after they responded to a mental health call. He was revived, hospitalized, and died a week later. The video became public in September.

A $10,000 reward has been posted for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those involved in September’s mass shooting in Rochester. The Rochester Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives announced the reward Thursday at the Public Safety Building. 

The City of Rochester unveiled a survey on police reform Monday, but some residents argue that the way that questions are worded is problematic.

City councilmember Mary Lupien said around 20 people have reached out to her with concerns over the wording of the survey within the first 24 hours of it’s release. 

Activists have called for the city to scrap its plan to hire a law firm to review Rochester Police Department policies, procedures, and training.

City Council will vote on Tuesday whether to hire the firm Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr — WilmerHale for short — to perform an in-depth analysis of RPD policies, procedures, and practices related to use of force, de-escalation, body-worn cameras, and how officers respond to mental health-related calls for assistance. The Washington-based firm would be paid $250,000 for the work, with the money coming from federal forfeiture funds.