New Rochelle complaint board still short of training, bylaws two years in
A Freedom of Information Law appeal filed October 26 seeks records on civilian oversight board member qualifications.
By Hugo Khalil ·
Nearly two years after New Rochelle created a Civilian Complaint Review Board, the panel is still completing required training, has not adopted bylaws, and cannot yet review many of the police misconduct cases that prompted calls for civilian oversight. A Freedom of Information Law appeal was filed October 26 after the city repeatedly missed deadlines for records about board training, including the qualifications of individual members.
Talk of the Sound publisher Robert Cox filed the appeal. He also renewed an objection to Corporation Counsel Dawn Warren handling his records appeals, because she is a plaintiff in pending federal litigation against him. Cox said he will bring an Article 78 proceeding if the city does not decide the appeal within the statutory ten-business-day period.
Minutes from the board's October 1 meeting show additional mandatory training was still scheduled and bylaws remained unfinished, even as the board prepared to begin reviewing completed Internal Affairs investigations. The board cannot yet provide meaningful civilian oversight of the Police Department.
Cox questioned whether Mayor Yadira Ramos-Herbert, City Manager Wilfredo Melendez, Corporation Counsel Warren and New Rochelle Police Department leadership want a functioning oversight board.
The city established the Civilian Complaint Review Board in 2024.
Source: Talk of the Sound
