Rochester officials have formed a partnership with a community coalition to improve the Rochester Police Department’s Body Worn Camera Program.
Mayor Lovely A. Warren announced Nov. 28 that the city and the Coalition for Police Reform’s Community Justice Advisory Board signed a memorandum of understanding that outlines the terms of the partnership, according to a city press release.
Under the agreement, the RPD and the coalition will take several steps to ensure the coalition has expedited access to public information regarding the Body Worn Camera Program. Members of the coalition will be enrolled in RPD’s Police Training Advisory Committee to learn how the camera program is administered. Freedom of Information Law requests submitted by the coalition in regard to the program will be expedited. And coalition members will schedule quarterly meetings to discuss the program’s implementation with RPD’s Deputy Chief Wayne Harris, who oversees community relations and engagement. Deputy Chief Harris will be a nonvoting member of the coalition’s governing body.
“This unprecedented partnership will increase public confidence in the Body Worn Camera Program and make it an even more effective tool,” Warren stated.
