Rochester police board lawyers up to ensure department cooperation

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The Rochester Police Accountability Board (PAB) announced that it's now working with a law firm to "ensure the City complies with its pressing investigations."

The law firm Shearman & Sterling offered pro bono legal counsel to the PAB. The same firm sued the Rochester Police Department (RPD) in December over its refusal to cooperate with the New York Civil Liberties Union’s requests for police disciplinary records.

In a statement from the PAB, the board said while investigating the RPD and its officers' most recent encounters with children and people in crisis, it has yet to receive a host of documents it has requested.

"This month, an independent investigation revealed that City officials spent much of last year suppressing crucial information about our police department," PAB Chair Shani Wilson said in a statement.

“We cannot allow history to repeat itself. The law is clear: the City must fully cooperate with our investigations. Refusing to do so is unacceptable. When Rochesterians are crying out for accountability and transparency in this moment of crisis, the PAB must do the job our community has tasked us with. With the help of lawyers as committed and experienced as those at Shearman & Sterling, the PAB will make sure our community’s calls are answered.”

Shearman & Sterling is an international law firm headquartered in New York City. According to the PAB, the firm recently partnered with public interest groups to settle a class-action lawsuit over the New York Police Department’s “stop and frisk” practices.

"The fate of police reform hinges on the success of organizations like the PAB," Shearman & Sterling partner Philip Urofsky said in a statement.

"We look forward to ensuring that City officials understand the law and fully cooperate with the PAB’s efforts to make Rochester’s public safety system equitable, fair, and transparent."

Later on Thursday, Rochester City Council is set to vote on the City of Rochester’s plan to reform the Rochester Police Department.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo introduced Executive Order 203 created the New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative, which requires all New York local police departments and governments to collaborate with their communities on a specific plan for change.

The 2021 agenda states, “Localities are required to engage their community and ratify a plan by April 1, 2021. Failure to complete this process will result in loss of State funding.”