Governor Cuomo plans to sign legislation that would ban chokeholds for police statewide. Another piece of legislation will repeal 50A– a decades old law that sealed police complaint records. Those complaints would be made public for the first time in decades.

Bridging the gap between the police and the community it serves is what Rochester Police Chief La’Ron Singletary said he’s continuing to do in Rochester.

“I think we have extended an olive branch to individuals, not just when they call 911, but when there is nothing going on,” said Singletary.

Repealing 50A will allow people access to police records that were previously confidential and considered personnel files.

Singletary said he is all for repealing 50A if it will increase transparency. He also said Rochester banned chokeholds years ago, after Eric Garner’s death in New York City. He said RPD has been leading the charge in reforms like these. Singletary said he thinks repealing this law is what people have wanted for a long time.

“I have been for any type of transparency and anything that’s gonna decrease the divide we currently have with police departments and the community. What we have to do is make sure there’s a process set up and a process in place to ensure that if there are any grievances as a result.”

Many Black Lives Matter organizations including the one here in Rochester, are demanding “defunding the police.” Singletary said that can mean a lot of different things depending who is saying it- from reallocating funds to eliminating the police altogether.

He said concerns of his are cuts to other services such as mental health and education, that end up falling on the police.

“We can do so much training and it doesn’t equate to what we’re asking police officers to do with regard to being a doctor, a lawyer, social worker, mental health therapist, family therapist.”

Singletary also said RPD established its Community Affairs Bureau years ago.

— ROCHESTER FIRST