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Community Police Board presses for working city liaison and clearer complaint process; mayor appoints David Shapiro as council liaison
Summary
Board members said they have not had a consistent council liaison for about a year; the mayor has appointed David Shapiro to serve as the liaison. The board also discussed gaps in complaint-handling communications and agreed to review policy revisions.
The Ithaca Community Police Board said it has lacked a reliable common council liaison for roughly a year and pushed the mayor to fill the seat; the board learned during the meeting that Mayor Rob appointed David Shapiro to attend future meetings as the council liaison.
Board members described lapses in communications between the board and the police department’s administrative staff and said that, when complaints are filed to the board, the administrative assistant historically handled assembling evidence, video and officer names. That process, the board said, has been inconsistent during recent staff transitions.
A temporary chair told the group the board will carry forward the election of chair until February “if we do not receive another voting member before we conclude this meeting today.” The board also directed that the appointment of a council liaison be pursued promptly so that the liaison can bring city-administration context to the board.
Board members laid out a complaint-handling sequence they expect to follow: send complaints in writing with the complaint number in the subject line and sufficient detail, allow a week for officers to respond, and if there is no response copy the chief. A board member emphasized that officers are not obligated to speak to the board under their contracts and that an officer who declines must notify the board; the board said it plans to review and formalize those steps as part of its 2025 policy-review work.
The board discussed producing a short, personable orientation packet for new officers that includes photos and brief introductions to board members so new officers recognize the board and know what to expect. The board asked the department to include compliments in officer personnel files when members submit positive feedback; a student, Owen Simons, provided a written compliment about a ride-along that the board said would be placed in the officer’s file.
During public comment, Kayla Mato relayed a message from the mayor: “he appointed a new council member, David Shapiro, and so he will be attending moving forward.” The board said it expects the new liaison to attend the next meeting when available and to help the board get outstanding transition information from city administration.
