City of Rochester
News Release
Notable News:
- All Officers Involved Suspended
Immediately
- Police Chief LaRon Singletary Officially
Reprimanded, Ordered to Take Significant Steps to Improve Police Response to
Mental Health Calls and Address Structural Racism
- City Will Provide $300,000 to Double
Availability of Monroe County FIT Team or retool the FACIT program to Respond
to Mental Health 911 Calls, Until Permanent Solution is Developed
- RASE Commission Charged to Develop and
Recommend Long-Term Solutions for Response to Mental Health Calls and Changes
to Mental Health Care to Address Crises Like Mr. Prude’s
- Mayor Warren Will Seek to Meet with the
Prude Family and Local BLM Protestors to Discuss Mr. Prude’s Life and Elevate
Their Policy ideas
- RPD Ordered to Provide Any Video of Any
In-Custody Death or Use of Force to Mayor Warren for Review Within 24 Hours of
the Incident
(Thursday, September 3, 2020) – Mayor Lovely A. Warren today discussed
Mr. Daniel Prude’s death and announced the immediate actions she is taking in
response. She also discussed the systemic failures in mental health care and
policing that led to his death. The Mayor announced the immediate and
indefinite suspension of all Officers involved in responding to the mental
health call regarding Mr. Prude on March 23.
“Mr. Daniel Prude was failed by our
police, our mental health care system, our society and by me,” said Mayor
Warren. “And, for that I apologize to the Prude family and all of our
community. In August 1962, my cousin’s grandfather Rufus Fairwell was a victim
of police brutality and eventually became the first citizen of Rochester to
receive a settlement for his suffering. It is now September 2020 and Daniel
Prude’s death has proven yet again that many of the challenges we faced then
still exist today. However, today, I am taking action to address these
challenges and build upon our City’s work to address racism in all its forms.
Doing this work has been at the heart of my service as Mayor, yet today is not
the day to recount these efforts, but to redouble them.”
Immediately Improving Mental Health Response
After discussions with City Council,
Mayor Warren announced that the City will provide additional funding and either
partner with Monroe County to double the availability of its Forensic
Intervention Team (FIT) or retool the FACIT program, to pair mental health
professionals with law enforcement to allow them to provide a more robust
response to mental health-related 911 calls. The Mayor has ordered that the FIT
or FACIT be utilized whenever possible by the RPD. The amount of the exact
funding will be determined in conjunction with City Council. Mayor Warren also
plans to discuss with other government officials establishing a permanent
funding stream for an expanded FIT or FACIT program. She also will charge the
co-chairs of the RASE commission to develop and recommend long-term solutions
for responses to mental health calls and changes to mental health care to
address crises like Mr. Prude’s.
Response
Timeline
Mayor Warren addressed the timeline of
events leading to Daniel Prude’s encounter with police and his subsequent
death, as well as the City’s actions afterwards. After the Rochester Police
Department responded to the 911 call on March 23, Mayor Warren was informed
later that day by Police Chief LaRon Singletary that Mr. Prude had an apparent
drug overdose while in custody. Chief Singletary never informed Mayor Warren of
the actions his officers took to forcibly restrain Mr. Prude. She was made
aware of the officers’ actions by Corporation Counsel Tim Curtin on August 4
after he reviewed the video while fulfilling a FOIL request from Mr. Prude’s
attorney. At no time prior to August 4 did Chief Singletary, nor anyone else
make Mayor Warren aware, or show her video of the actions of the RPD officers
involved in Mr. Prude’s death.
Officers
Suspended
“I have never shied away from taking
action and holding our police, or anyone, who fails in their duties to our
community accountable,” said Mayor Warren. “That is why I am suspending the
officers in question today against the advice of my counsel, and I urge the
N.Y. State Attorney General to complete her investigation. I understand that
the union may sue me for taking these officers off our streets. They should
feel free to do so.”
“Experiencing, and ultimately dying
from, a drug overdose while in police custody, as I was told by the Chief, is
entirely different than what I ultimately witnessed on the video provided to me
by the Law Department. I have since ordered the Chief to provide me with video
within 24 hours of any in-custody death or use-of-force incident,” continued
Mayor Warren “I have addressed with Police Chief LaRon Singletary how deeply
disappointed I am in him personally and professionally for failing to fully and
accurately inform me about what occurred to Mr. Prude. He knows he needs to do
better to truly protect and serve our community and I know he will.”
Chief Singletary has also been ordered
to provide two briefings regarding both the criminal and internal aspects of
the investigation to Mayor Warren. The RPD has also been ordered to provide a
plan within 30 days to further build upon the expanded availability of FIT to
address the Department’s response to mental health calls.
Below are the names of the RPD Officers:
- Sgt. Michael Magri
- Officer Josiah Harris
- Officer Paul Ricotta
- Officer Francisco Santiago
- Officer Andrew Specksgoor
- Officer Troy Taladay
- Officer Mark Vaughn
Outreach
to the Prude Family & Black Live Matter Protestors
Mayor Warren has reached out to the Prude
family and local BLM protestors to discuss Mr. Prude’s life and elevate their
policy ideas. She renewed her commitment to address racism in all aspects of
our City and our society and stated that it must begin with recognizing the
basic humanity of individuals who are suffering from mental health issues, like
Mr. Prude.
“My heart is with the family of Daniel
Prude,” she said. “As a Mayor, mother, sister, daughter and as a Black woman, I
am filled with grief and anger at myself for all of the failures that led to
his death. The failure of a system, which released him merely hours after his
family, had him hospitalized for severe mental health issues. The failure that
took place after his brother expressed concern for Mr. Prude’s life, he was
dead within minutes of being in police custody. The failure of our police and
all of those involved to resolve this investigation and deliver justice for Mr.
Prude and his family. I must do better as the leader of this community. My
fellow elected officials must do better. Our police must be better. Our health
care system must do better; and our entire society must make these changes a
priority. We can’t continue to fail Black lives in this way. We can’t improve
our City and our nation until we do.”
RASE
Commission Removal
Mayor Warren also asked the co-chairs of
the RASE commission to remove Chief Singletary and Locust Club President Mike
Mazzeo from their leadership roles in the RASE commission so its important work
would not be limited by their involvement.
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