Police Accountability Board Alliance says City Council PAB survey results are ‘deeply flawed’
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Police Accountability Board Alliance spoke out Saturday on the recent community City Council survey results that were posted over the Fourth of July weekend. The survey focused on Rochester’s Police Accountability Board.
The PAB Alliance says they believe the results of the survey are deeply flawed.
“The survey contained questions about the public’s perception of the Police Accountability Board. The authors of the report admit the survey is not scientifically based, and should not be used as a realistic representation of the attitudes of the people the PAB is intended to serve,” explains the PAB Association.
They explain that the PAB continues to overcome barriers to meet their goal and that the citizens of Rochester overwhelmingly voted in favor of having a Police Accountability Board.
The following is a part of the statement given by the PAB Alliance:
“There is a deliberate and persistent misconception that the Police Accountability Board and agency have not achieved anything since their inception in 2019. However, the board is now operating as an independent, community- led board and is hearing cases. The agency provides a confidential and safe reporting environment. The staff is involved in ongoing community engagement, publishes policy updates, data and investigative reports, conducts investigations, and has completed a disciplinary matrix.
These initiatives have been achieved in spite of City Council first freezing and then decreasing the PAB’s budget, instituting a hiring freeze followed by a slow-paced hiring process. Staff has had no direct access to Rochester Police Department databases and receives incomplete information from the RPD. City Council has failed to fill vacant board seats per City Charter requirements.”