Against the Police Advisory Board, articles & letters, Times-Union, February 1965
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The year 1965 had by far the most column space with regards to the Police Advisory Board in both the Democrat & Chronicle and the Times-Union newspapers. For 1965, articles critical of the PAB from the Times-Union have been combined into single Rochester Indymedia articles divided by month. This is February 1965. The clippings can be found at the Local History Department of the Monroe County Library Downtown Branch.
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.
The letter to the editor below, "Urges Elimination Of Police board," written by John Morcan from the city, was published in the Times-Union on February 10, 1965. He said that the board has "handcuffed" the police for too long. For him, the PAB bred "...more crime and immorality."
The article below, "'Get Advisory Board Off Us,'" was written by police reporter Tom Connolly of the Times-Union and was published on February 24, 1965. The article cites a detective who complains that police morale is down because of the board. Mr. Connolly also notes a police complaint that those on the board have no idea what police actually go through. He also cited the police concern that if the PAB was developed to address police brutality, "...why didn't complaints reach the Advisory Board before the rioting began?" Hoover's report from the FBI is cited as is the police union concern of police officers having their constitutional rights violated. A very biased article--but that's to be expected from the Times-Union.
