Elections / Legislation

Below is a scanned image of an editorial from the Times-Union. The editorial, "Strong New View on Police Board," begins by referencing Bishop James E. Kearney's remarks against the Police Advisory Board. He is quoted as saying, "...its continuation hurts the morale of the department and is a reflection on the integrity of our men in uniform." The editorial continues by claiming the board has not promoted "good relations between the Negro community and the police" nor has it solved police brutality.

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 July 1965. The clippings can be found at the Local History Department of the Monroe County Library Downtown Branch.

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 June 1965. The clippings can be found at the Local History Department of the Monroe County Library Downtown Branch.

Below is a scanned image of a letter to the editor from the Times-Union. The letter, "Lauds Police Board Criticism," written by Barbara Prattis from the city, talked about how "delighted" she was that the Police Advisory Board "came under fire" by the FBI. She wrote that the board serves no other purpose than to "create difficulty for police and promulgate ill will toward them." The clipping can be found at the Local History Department of the Monroe County Library Downtown Branch. "Lauds Police Board Criticism," a letter to the editor, was written by Barbara Prattis from the city.

Below is a scanned image of a newspaper clipping referencing a New York City councilman who cited a representative of the National Association of Colored People Philadelphia branch and a Rochester "policewoman" in their contempt of the Police Advisory Board and boards like them around the country. Alternatives to the boards (the chief of police, the FBI, and the federal court system) were raised as proof that no boards were needed. The clipping can be found at the Local History Department of the Monroe County Library Downtown Branch. "Police Board Opposed," was written by Cliff Smith.

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.

Graphs depicting data on police demographic information from August 2013. Two questions were asked of the data 1) What is the racial composition of the Rochester Police Department?, 2) What is the gender composition of the Rochester Police Department?, and 3) How much of the police force works in the communities that it lives? Data was given to Rochester Indymedia after a Freedom of Information Act request was filed with the City of Rochester. The number before the percent represents that number of officers on the force for that category.

POLICE OFFICERS.pdf

POLICE OFFICERS.pdf

The RPD uniformed officers list in .pdf format containing the names, ranks, ages, genders, races and residencies of the RPD officers from July 2013. The Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) was used to gather this data from the City of Rochester.

Below is a scanned image of a newspaper clipping with photographs of the new Police Advisory Board. The clipping can be found at the Local History Department of the Monroe County Library Downtown Branch. The photos in "Meet New Police Advisory Board," were taken by Times-Union photographer Peter B. Hickey. The article was published in the Times-Union newspaper on May 24, 1963.

Below is a scanned image of an editorial from the Times-Union. The editorial, "Does Police Board Need Executive Staff?" questions the need for paid staff on the Police Advisory Board when "...there is no business..." for the board. The editorial argues that the board confuses cops on how to implement law "...fairly, yet firmly." Smugness and paternalism drip from the editorial. The clipping can be found at the Local History Department of the Monroe County Library Downtown Branch.