The Citizen Review Board told Syracuse City Council representatives that a recent technical glitch revealed a backlog of complaints and that the board is prioritizing 38 cases that require full investigation. Speaker 5, a Citizen Review Board representative, said the misrouting produced a list of "157 cases" and that "out of those cases, we definitely have the 38 that definitely need to be done from the beginning to the end process."

The board described steps it has taken to respond. Speaker 5 said staff and volunteers have sent 57 closure letters to complainants from 2022–2023 to explain why cases were closed and that 15 of those letters were returned as undeliverable. The CRB also corrected the email routing error that had been sending online complaints to the wrong address, Speaker 5 said, and has coordinated with the Syracuse Police Department's professional standards unit to obtain interviews and evidence needed for investigations.

The board credited real-time access to digital evidence with speeding reviews. "It's in real time," Speaker 1 said of evidence.com, which the board now uses to pull case data without sending separate information requests to police operations. The CRB said evidence.com access and closer working relationships with internal affairs have helped staff reduce processing time for incoming and legacy cases.

Board leaders emphasized outreach and community education. Speaker 5 described quarterly "meet-and-greet" sessions with police chiefs, tabling at community events and school programs, and distribution of cards that explain what to do if stopped by police. "We want them to know that they have a voice to go to," Speaker 1 said, noting work with immigrant communities and youth programs to decrease fear and provide information about rights and police procedures.

The CRB also raised a procedural constraint that limits its ability to act on older complaints. "They had exceeded the 18 months," Speaker 1 said, explaining that older cases often fall outside the board's authority under current legislation and therefore cannot be fully adjudicated. Council members acknowledged that the governing legislation is dated and discussed collaborating with the board to draft updates; Speaker 4 said the council would work offline with the CRB to prepare proposed amendments.

On board operations, Speaker 5 described recruitment efforts (the CRB posted investigator openings on Indeed), but noted visa and temporary work authorization issues have prevented some strong candidates from being hired. The board also reported training for staff, plans to publicize the city's civilian police academy when it resumes, and efforts to map three years of SPD incident data with a new analyst to guide targeted responses and training.

One case the board voted to hear remains pending scheduling after the police department's representative and the board's attorney requested additional information. Speaker 1 said the attorney would coordinate hearing dates once the requested materials were provided.

The CRB asked the council for continued support rather than new resources immediately. "Mister continued support. It's all that we need," Speaker 5 said. Council members closed the session by thanking CRB representatives and viewers.

What happens next: the CRB will prioritize the 38 cases approaching expiration, continue outreach and training, complete the planned data mapping, and collaborate with the council on proposed legislative updates to the board's authority and time limits.