The police, the public, and the use of force
Rochester Police Department
Posted inNews & Opinion
Support’s growing for reform of police oversight
Concerns over police conduct aren’t new, in Rochester or many other cities. Nor is the public push for reform. But in Rochester this year, support for reform has been gaining strength. On the heels of 18-year-old Ricky Bryant’s lawsuit charging police with using excessive force and a citizens-group report calling for an independent review board, […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
City Council president wants more independent police review process
City Council may push for stronger civilian involvement in the review of actions by Rochester police. City Council President Loretta Scott said this afternoon that she favors some form of an independent civilian review process, something community activists have urged for years. Under current city law, a civilian group – the Center for Dispute Settlement […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
City Council prepares to investigate police handling of the Ricky Bryant case
City Council has taken the first step in what could be an extensive reassessment of how the city handles citizen complaints about police actions. In an 8-0 vote Tuesday night, Council authorized investigating how police handled an incident involving 18-year-old Ricky Bryant Jr. The teenager’s family says he was beaten and seriously injured by police […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
City Council could seek a subpoena in Bryant case
The Rochester City Council is going to consider legislation that would authorize the investigation of a citizen’s complaint against the Rochester Police Department. By approving the legislation, Council would clear the way for President Loretta Scott to issue a subpoena to the Rochester Police Department. The investigation, if approved, would center on an August 8 […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Group seeks more police accountability
The Rochester Coalition for Police Reform, a social justice group led by the Rev. Lewis Stewart, is calling for abolishing the current Civilian Review Board and replacing it with a new board with much stronger oversight powers. The current board doesn’t have the power to independently investigate complaints, or subpoena testimony or evidence, and has […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Reports focus on RPD’s structure and relations with the public
The five-section patrol structure of the Rochester Police Department is working well, but the relations and trust between police officers and the community need major improvements. Those are the findings of two new reports released this morning by Mayor Lovely Warren and Rochester Police Chief Michael Ciminelli. Together, they address issues that have raised major […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
[Updated] Legislator wants Monroe County to consider sanctuary status
Rochester City Council voted unanimously Tuesday evening to reaffirm its sanctuary city status. The measure states that Rochester police officers won’t be responsible for enforcing immigration law. Authorities no less than the Supreme Court have said that task is the responsibility of federal – not local – governments. Democratic County Legislator Mark Muoio is now […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Politics, violence, and the city’s mayoral race
Violence is not a problem of policing. It’s a terrible, complicated societal problem, and police cannot solve it.
Posted inNews & Opinion
Feedback 10/12
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Posted inNews & Opinion
Student arrests are in a downward trend
About 4 percent of the Rochester school district’s students were arrested at school during the 2008-2009 school year, usually for fights that resulted in charges of disorderly conduct. Among other things, the arrests were symbolic of the public’s negative perception of city schools. But the number of arrests in city schools has fallen significantly over […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Again and again and again and again
It’s not just the images of black men being gunned down by police; it’s the pervasive sense of injustice that’s driving the outcry we see today.
