Syracuse CRB approves board training, tables summer intern hire; names Peggy Chase to government-relations post and moves to executive session on administrator

The Syracuse City Civilian Review Board on an evening meeting approved a multi-session training program for board members, tabled a proposal to bring a summer student supplied and paid by Human Resources, accepted several administrative updates about cases sent to an outside investigator, appointed Peggy Chase as chair of the committee on government relations and recessed to executive session to discuss the vacant CRB administrator post.

The vote to schedule educational training for the full board passed after a motion and second; board members said the training will be scheduled for a Saturday in June to allow broader attendance. Joe Barry, First Assistant Corporation Counsel, told the board that training sessions for educational purposes would not run afoul of the New York State Open Meetings Law because no decisions would be made during the sessions: "Correct, because you're not making any decisions, you're just receiving the benefit of . . . educational information," Barry said.

Why it matters: board members and staff said training is needed because many members lack experience reviewing cases; members also said clearer committee roles and consistent terminology are needed before the board can reliably review police policy and complaints.

Board business and administrative updates

The board's temporary leadership reported that Freeland Investigations has been assigned six cases for investigation: three cases nearing an 18‑month cutoff and three cases from fiscal year 2025. The temporary administrator said those six cases have been sent to Freeland and are expected to be ready for discussion at the board's June meeting to decide whether to proceed to hearing. The board heard that Freeland will also submit a quote for the training vendor; the board said it will review the quote and decide at a future meeting whether to hire Freeland or another vendor.

The board discussed a Human Resources proposal to provide a funded summer student to assist with clerical tasks. Members supported the idea in principle but raised concerns about supervision, program goals, hours and whether the board would have sufficient work for the student. The board voted to table the hiring proposal pending more information from HR about expected hours, whether the position would be part of an existing internship program and supervision arrangements.

Police relations and requested documents

The committee on police relations reported a visit to the Syracuse Police Department, where leaders described efforts to be transparent and to work with the CRB. The committee chair reported that the department said it would provide two things as action items: (1) a list of internal affairs cases that the department has "written off" (the board will cross‑reference that list with its own caseload to determine if further review is needed), and (2) access to the department's policy manual (provided electronically through the department's policy system). The committee chair summarized the visit: "they presented themselves as responsible, transparent, and community oriented." The board discussed how to use the policy manual to determine whether officer actions fall inside or outside department policies.

Public comment and board independence

During public comment, a speaker urged the board to use precise language when describing internal‑affairs determinations and recommended adopting the terms "founded," "unfounded" or "unable to determine" rather than saying a case was "written off." A commenter also urged the board to maintain institutional independence from the city council and the police to preserve credibility: "You, as a body, were created and confirmed as an agency. They would operate and make decisions independently and without interference or control by city councilors or by police or city officials," the commenter said.

Committees and appointments

Members discussed uncertainty about what each standing committee should do because the bylaws name multiple committees (community outreach and public education; board development and training; government relations; police relations; operations; hearings) but do not define detailed duties. The board asked counsel to review the bylaws and advise whether subcommittee meetings must be posted and held under the Open Meetings Law. As part of committee business the board nominated and voted to make Peggy Chase chair of the committee on government relations; the motion passed on an aye vote.

Personnel and next steps

The operations committee reported second‑round interviews and reference checks for a candidate for the CRB administrator post. The board discussed the hiring process and the requirement that final appointment actions be taken in public. The board then voted to enter executive session to discuss personnel matters related to the administrator vacancy; the board said it will return to public session afterward to complete any formal action.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to table selection of a new board chair (mover: Harry; second: Mike): outcome — tabled. - Motion to accept minutes from the prior meeting (mover: not specified; second: Linda): outcome — no vote recorded in transcript. - Motion to table hiring a summer student supplied/paid by HR (mover: not specified; second: Peggy Chase): outcome — passed (motion carried). - Motion to approve a board training session(s) (mover and second not specified): outcome — passed (motion carried). - Nomination and vote to appoint Peggy Chase as chair of the committee on government relations (mover: unnamed board member; second: unnamed): outcome — passed (unanimous aye recorded). - Motion to enter executive session to discuss personnel (mover and second recorded; names not specified): outcome — passed.

Ending

The board recessed into executive session to discuss the administrator vacancy and agreed to return to public session afterward to adjourn and to take any required public action. Members asked staff to collect clarifying details from HR on the summer student proposal and from the Syracuse Police Department on access to the department's policy manual and the list of internal‑affairs case dispositions for cross‑reference.