For
Immediate Release
Wednesday, September 2, 2020
City Council
Statement on the Death of Daniel Prude
First and foremost, the Council wants to acknowledge the
tragedy of Daniel Prude’s death and offer our heartfelt condolences to his
loved ones. No person should have to endure what we saw on the body camera
footage. In a moment of need, his family reached out for help, and our system
failed Mr. Prude at every turn.
Like many in our community, the Council only learned of and
saw this footage today. While we are extremely troubled by this matter, we are
limited in what we can do at this time. The State Attorney General’s office is
conducting an investigation into the death of Mr. Prude, and we call on
Attorney General Letitia James to expedite this process. We must bring answers
to Mr. Prude’s family.
As we await the outcome of this
investigation, we call upon the County to join us to develop adequate and
appropriate resources to respond to the cries for help such as these that went
unanswered. We must also rectify inadequacies in our policies, practices,
and procedures and improve our communication both internally and externally.
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Media Contact: BJ Scanlon - Robert.Scanlon@cityofrochester.gov