"Would Abandon Police Board," Times-Union, August 14, 1964
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Below is a scanned image of a letter to the editor from the Times-Union. The letter, "Would Abandon Police Board" written by Margaret B. Hoesli from Pittsford, talks about how great the editorials for newspaper are--"so unbiased and to the point"! She hopes the Times-Union will use all it's power to help in abolishing the Police Advisory Board. She also expresses an uncritical love of police. The clipping can be found at the Local History Department of the Monroe County Library Downtown Branch. "Would Abandon Police Board," a letter to the editor, was written by Margaret B. Hoesli from Pittsford. It was published in the Times-Union newspaper on August 14, 1964.
While the Police Advisory Board became law on March 26, 1963 to address complaints against officers who used "excessive and unnecessary force" against civilians, the Locust Club police union did everything in its power to thwart it from actually accomplishing anything. Two injunctions were slapped on it by the court preventing it from conducting independent investigations and forwarding recommendations to the chief of police--it's primary functions. By the mid-1960s, new appointments to the board were needed to meet quorum in order for it to do its work. But neither Democrats nor Republicans appointed anyone to the board after it was found constitutional by the courts in 1969. It was then defunded and abolished in 1970 by the new Republican Party-lead Rochester city government.
