Members and supporters of the Citizens Review Board, or CRB, gathered in front of City Hall Wednesday to celebrate their anniversary.
The CRB is a citizen-led body that investigates and helps to resolve complaints against the Syracuse Police Department.
CRB Chairperson Richard Levy said a large portion of the grievances they address have to do with attitudes of law enforcement.
“Most of them are the treatment of the complainant by the police officers, mostly verbal. But like I said, there are cases that escalate into physical altercations,” he said.
Bodycam footage has helped the group in its investigations in excessive force and other claims, said CRB administrator Ranette Releford.
Releford said she and the board are now working to make that footage more accessible for the future.
“What we currently fighting for is unfettered access to body worn camera. Which means that they don’t have to save it on to a CD and provide it to us. We can go to evidence.com and pull it ourselves,” she explained.
They hope to be around the next 30 years and beyond to keep the police accountable to the community they serve, Releford said.
“It’s necessary for people to understand that when they feel that they have been wronged in their interactions with the police or they want to gain better understanding as it relates to police policies and procedures, that they know that somebody else is there to listen,” she said.
This week’s events will culminate with a CRB meeting on Thursday at 5:30pm in the Syracuse Common Council Chambers.
