Syracuse City Civilian Review Board appoints interim administrator, approves training and honorarium

At a meeting of the Syracuse City Citizens Review Board at Syracuse City Hall, members voted to appoint Don Johnson as a temporary administrator and approved a 30-minute historical/training presentation by a invited trainer identified in the meeting as Barry. The board also voted to authorize payment for the trainer, subject to later City Council ratification.

The action comes as the board continues work to restore regular operations after a period without a permanent administrator. Don Johnson, who was serving in a public-facing clerk role, reported that seven people had contacted the office about filing complaints since he began working there on Jan. 29 and said complaint forms have been distributed to those callers. "Those forms have been sent out to those individuals, and 1 individual is gonna do it online," Johnson said during his status report.

The board's chair, Bridal Lovejoy Cornell, framed the immediate need for an administrator as a practical barrier to case processing: without an administrator to receive and forward case recommendations, the police Office of Professional Standards may decline to process or share…