04/15/2021
Below is the PAB's official announcement of their proposed budget, with a graphic attached outlining everything the Board will need to function effectively and deliver on its promise of accountability and justice for Rochester residents. Stay tuned in the weeks to come for how the Alliance will fight for passage of this budget!
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Each year, the City Charter requires the Police Accountability Board to have a proposed budget that would provide the agency with sufficient funding to perform all its duties and resolve all complaints within 90 days. Today, the PAB is releasing its budget proposal for fiscal year 2021 – 2022. This 85-page proposal represents over six months of research into best practices, budgets, case processing systems, and other features of civilian oversight agencies across the country. Adopting this proposal would fulfill the Charter’s vision while building the PAB into a national model for community-led police oversight.
“Real change takes real resources,” said PAB Chair Shani Wilson. “For every $20 it currently spends on policing, we’re asking the City to invest at least $1 in accountability. Given the millions the City is spending on policing-related legal fees, settlements, and protests each year, this investment is certain to not only keep our citizens safe, but save our city money in the long term.”
The proposal requests roughly $5 million to fund three bureaus within the PAB that will exercise the agency’s current set of non-disciplinary powers. A Bureau of Officer Accountability would investigate an estimated 480 annual complaints promptly and fairly. A Bureau of Systemic Change would oversee every aspect of policing while creating a constant stream of community-driven, evidence-based proposals for change. Finally, a Bureau of Administration would ensure the PAB’s operations are accessible to all, fully functional, legally sound, and widely used by the community.
“Investigations into allegations of police misconduct can be fair and swift – or they can be shoddy and slow,” said PAB Executive Director Conor Dwyer Reynolds. “Oversight of police practices can be deep and thorough – or it can be shallow and brief. Proposals for change can be frequent and evidence-based – or they can be rare and lightweight. In every case, the difference always comes down to funding. By releasing this proposal, we hope to show what it takes to do the job our community has tasked us with.”
The PAB will be announcing a series of educational events on the budget proposal in the coming weeks. To read the budget proposal and learn more about what it takes to make Rochester a national model for community-led police oversight, visit www.cityofrochester.gov/pab/budget. Questions about the proposal can be directed to PAB Executive Director Conor Dwyer Reynolds at [email protected].
