Police Accountability Board Chair accused of sexual harassment
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ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) – “I Reported Sexual Harassment by My Boss. A Week Later, I Was Suspended," was the title of an online essay by the suspended executive director of the city’s Police Accountability Board, Conor Dwyer Reynolds.
In the essay published in the Medium, he claims he was suspended from his job in retaliation for reporting that his boss, Shani Wilson, the chair of the board, sexually harassed him. Reynolds wrote that the harassment began within days of his starting the job in 2020.
“My harasser is close friends with city council members, county legislators, state legislators, city bureaucrats, and even some of my employees,” Reynolds wrote about why he remained silent. "I believed that, if I spoke out, Shani would use these connections to launch a campaign to discredit my story and end my career.”
He claims that he presented his allegations against Wilson to the board on May 5 and subsequently filed a complaint with the state Division of Human Rights. The board suspended Reynolds on May 13, citing unspecified personnel issues.
Elizabeth Cordello, the attorney representing Wilson, released this statement: "It is our policy that we do not comment on ongoing investigations or matters that may lead to litigation so that the investigation can be conducted in an expedient and thorough manner."
