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Residents urge independent review after public comments allege retaliation by Utica Police Department
Summary
Two residents told the council they and family members faced alleged retaliation and excessive force by Utica Police Department officers and requested independent investigations; the council president said a captain was asked to look into one written complaint.
During the public comment period, two speakers alleged retaliation and excessive force by members of the Utica Police Department and asked the Common Council to support investigations and accountability measures.
Eugene Henderson told the council: “I am compelled to speak out against the blatant retaliation being carried out by the Utica Police Department against me and my family.” He said the alleged retaliation began after his wife filed a complaint about civil-rights violations by department officers and that subsequent charges against family members were “frivolous” and intended to intimidate. Henderson called for “a full in-depth investigation into these retaliated actions.”
The council president read a statement on behalf of Charice Henderson in which she described an incident on July 4 and said she attempted to file a complaint for excessive force after being grabbed by an officer. The written statement says she learned by mail of a warrant charging her with resisting arrest after she filed the complaint and that she had to turn herself in and plead not guilty. The statement requested preservation and review of body-camera and surveillance footage, that charges be dropped and that disciplinary and legal accountability follow if the allegations are substantiated.
The council president responded on the record: “I did send this letter to one of the captains, and they are looking into it.” The meeting record does not show any formal referral to an independent investigator or any binding council action; the comments were recorded during public comment and not accompanied by a motion or vote.
The nut graf: The speakers sought independent review and evidence preservation; the council acknowledged receipt and said department leadership had been notified, but no formal council-led investigation or discipline was recorded in the meeting minutes.
Next steps: Speakers requested an independent investigation and preservation of camera footage; the transcript records the statement being forwarded to an UPD captain for review. The council did not set a formal deadline or next procedural steps during the meeting.
