As one of her final policy changes, Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren is establishing a Civilian Public Safety Interview panel. It's a group of nine-to-12 Rochester citizens who will interview candidates for the Rochester police department, and recommend whether or not they should be hired. The mayor says it will determine if applicants for the RPD are fit to serve, and if they are free of discriminatory or racist attitudes.
The mayor says this fits in with development of crisis intervention and other steps taken to improve police-community relations.
The panel will be advisory -- its recommendations will go to the police chief, who will have final say on hiring new officers.
The panel will have nine-to-12 members who will be trained as volunteers. They must be over 21 and not have a felony on their record.
The Reverend Lewis Stewart of United Christian Leadership Ministries developed the idea and will be one of three people who will set up the panel and develop its procedures. The other members of that group will come from the police department and the city's human resources department.