On Election Day, Tuesday, November 5th, 2019, the people of Rochester overwhelmingly voted to pass the Police Accountability Board (PAB) Referendum. We encourage city residents to apply to become members of this new, unprecedented board that will be responsible for holding police accountable for misconduct. The Police Accountability Board Alliance is responsible for nominating 4 members to serve on the Rochester Police Accountability Board. We are seeking people who represent the diversity and lived-experience of the Rochester community. All are welcome to fill out our simple application to be considered.
If you want help with the application, please reach out to us by calling 585-210-2278 or emailing ApplyPAB@gmail.com.
Read the legislation that was approved by voters here: City Council's PAB Legislation
The City of Rochester fails to hold police officers accountable for misconduct and brutality. Between 2001 and 2016, citizens filed 923 allegations of excessive force against the RPD. The Chief of Police, who has the sole power to discipline officers, only sustained 16 of these allegations. The Chief of Police cannot be expected to investigate, evaluate, and discipline police officers. This is a clear conflict of interest. Between 2002 and 2016, only 13 allegations led to discipline. The harshest discipline was 6 suspensions for sustained allegations of use of force. None were fired. Police misconduct will continue unless this broken system is replaced with an independent system that serves the interests of the people of Rochester, not just the RPD.
A coalition of community organizations came together in 2017 and proposed a Police Accountability Board (PAB) to replace the current broken system. The proposed PAB would be a civilian-led oversight board that is rooted in five essential pillars:
In addition to the five pillars, sufficient funding is required so that complaints of misconduct are resolved efficiently and effectively in 90 days. To handle the volume of complaints that are filed in Rochester, the PAB will require a funding equal to 1% of RPD’s budget, one million dollars, a reasonable cost of true accountability, and an investment which will result in far fewer costly lawsuits against the city involving excessive force.
The majority of the board members of the PAB would be nominated by a coalition of the Rochester community organizations called the Police Accountability Board Alliance. The Alliance removes the conflict of interest and replaces it with a civilian-led oversight system, empowering the communities that have had no direct control over how they are policed for far too long.
Read this short explainer about the problem with police accountability in Rochester and our solution.
View DetailsRead the proposed ordinance presented to City Council that can establish the PAB in Rochester.
View DetailsThere are many ways to get involved with the PAB:
The Police Accountability Board Alliance is a coalition of over 50 community organizations united to hold the police accountable in Rochester. The Alliance brings a diversity of perspectives and expertise to the shared struggle for police accountability. The City fails to hold police accountable largely because of the lack of community control over the police oversight system. The Alliance strives to change this paradigm by giving the community the power to review police misconduct and discipline officers.
One major function of the Alliance is to lead the campaign for establishing a Police Accountability Board (PAB). The Alliance has used public forums and demonstrations to increase public awareness. Police accountability is popular in Rochester and it is the mission of the Alliance to empower the community to move the PAB forward. Ultimately it is up to City Council to pass the PAB with 5 essential pillars.
The bylaws for the PAB Alliance, which includes information about functions and procedures of the Alliance, can be found here.
If you or an organization are interested in joining the PAB Alliance, please contact us and fill out this application: PAB Alliance application.
The Police Accountability Board Alliance is a coalition of community organizations aligned toward the shared goal of holding police accountable in Rochester. Below is a list of our coalition's members