Police Accountability Board

The PAB: A Tool For Our Community to Reimagine Public Safety

In 2019, Rochesterians overwhelmingly voted to create the Police Accountability Board, a new agency within City government dedicated to holding the police accountable. The PAB is tasked with creating a better, fairer system for holding individual officers accountable for their actions. While the PAB's ability to create consequences for officers who commit wrongdoing remains on hold thanks to a lawsuit filed by the local police union, the PAB remains a powerful tool for Rochesterians looking to reimagine public safety. The City Charter requires the PAB to independently investigate complaints of officer misconduct, make every aspect of policing in Rochester transparent, craft new policies and rules to fundamentally change public safety in Rochester, hold City officials accountable for change, and create spaces for the community to be heard.

Funding Accountability: 2021 - 2022 PAB Budget Proposal

Each year, the City Charter requires the Police Accountability Board to propose a budget that would provide the agency with sufficient funding to perform all its duties and resolve all complaints within 90 days. Today, the PAB is releasing its budget proposal for fiscal year 2021 – 2022. This 85-page proposal represents over six months of research into best practices, budgets, case processing systems, and other features of civilian oversight agencies across the country. Adopting this proposal would fulfill the Charter’s vision while building the PAB into a national model for community-led police oversight.  To read the proposal and learn more about its contents, click HERE.

Keeping Up To Date On Our Work

The PAB is currently looking to launch its own independent website that will be more accessible and will feature additional content. Until that website is launched, Rochesterians looking for the most up-to-date information on the PAB's work should view the PAB's social media pages. You can follow us on Twitter HERE and on Facebook HERE.

You can contact the PAB by emailing pab@cityofrochester.gov or leaving a voicemail on our general line at 585-428-7524. A list of our upcoming meetings and hearings is below.

What The PAB Is Doing Now

The PAB currently lacks the power to discipline officers found guilty of wrongdoing. The PAB is working with its lawyers to develop the procedural rules that, along with the necessary budgetary resources, will allow it accept complaints regarding specific instances of officer misconduct. In the meantime, the PAB is focused on using the resources and powers it has to oversee the policies, practices, procedures, and patterns within the Rochester Police Department. Currently, the PAB has two open oversight investigations. 

Please note: the PAB's oversight investigations are currently on hold. The City has not provided the PAB with the information it has requested to conduct its investigations. In March 2021, PAB has hired the international law firm Shearman & Sterling to ensure that the City fully cooperates with these and all other PAB investigations. 

Oversight Investigation #2021-1: Protest-Related Policing & Mass Gathering Response (January 2021 - Present)

In 2020, the Rochester Police Department came under intense scrutiny for its responses to Black Lives Matter protests. The RPD has also faced criticism over its responses to other mass gatherings, including the annual Puerto Rican Festival. The PAB is investigating the RPD's policies, practices, and procedures regarding these kinds of events. On February 11, 2021, the PAB held an oversight hearing on the RPD's new protest plan featuring testimony from RPD Chief Herriott-Sullivan. You can view the hearing HERE.

Oversight Investigation #2021-2: The Pepperspraying of a Handcuffed Nine Year Old In RPD Custody (January 2021 - Present)

In early 2021, Rochester Police Department officers responded to a call involving a suicidal nine year old girl by handcuffing her, placing her in the back of a police car, and pepperspraying her in the face. The RPD has said that its officers were "required" to pepperspray the child. PAB is investigating the policies, practices, and procedures that led to this incident - and what measures could have been taken to prevent it. As part of this investigation, the PAB is examining government rules about pepperspraying people, handling crisis calls, and dealing with children. On March 11, 2021, the PAB held an educational hearing on the City's new Person in Crisis Team, which aims to connect Rochesterians in crisis to social support and mental health resources. You can view the hearing HERE.