Police Accountability Board Launches Campaign to Protect its Independence and Autonomy
September 14, 2021
For Immediate Release
Police Accountability Board Launches Campaign to Protect its Independence and Autonomy
Board Calls on City to Follow the Law and Let the PAB Do Its Job
Today, the Police Accountability Board launched a campaign to bring the community together to protect the PAB’s independence. The Board is launching its campaign in the face of a plan by the City of Rochester to remove the Board’s power to hire and control its staff. This plan threatens to undermine the integrity of PAB’s investigations, add needless bureaucracy to PAB’s operations, and strip PAB of its autonomy.
“We are speaking out today because our community cannot afford to wait any longer for the City to respect the PAB’s autonomy,” said PAB Chair Shani Wilson. “The City’s refusal to let PAB run itself is causing critical delays on everything from hiring staff to getting office keys made. Every day our progress is slowed is another day that RPD sits free from accountability and transparency. If the City refuses to respect the PAB’s independence, it will undermine the one part of City government trusted to reimagine our public safety system.”
Before launching its public campaign for change, the PAB’s attorney sent a letter to the City explaining the law establishing the PAB’s autonomy. The letter asked the City to follow the law and stop interfering with the PAB’s work. In the two weeks since the PAB sent its letter, the City has yet to respond, forcing the PAB to take further action to defend itself.
Moving forward, the PAB will be publicly campaigning to make the City respect the agency’s autonomy. “We are asking the community to speak up and tell City officials to stop policing the PAB more than they police the police,” said Wilson. As the PAB works to educate policymakers and the community, the PAB’s attorneys will be exploring all legal options that can ensure the City follows the law. At the same time, the PAB will be launching an online jobs portal and taking other steps to maintain forward progress regardless of the City’s actions.
“In 2019, City government made a public choice to create a strong, independent PAB,” said Wilson. “It is long past time for City officials to have their private actions match that public support. The City needs to honor the will of our community and let us do our jobs.”
For more information about this press release, please contact PAB Chief of Public Affairs Natalie Banks at natalie.banks@cityofrochester.gov.
