Rochester Police Chief Will Speak at Forum Held by Task Force on Racial Injustice and Police Reform

Rochester Police Chief Will Speak at Forum Held by Task Force on Racial Injustice and Police Reform

12.2.2020

By Brendan Kennedy

The New York State Bar Association Task Force on Racial Injustice and Police Reform will hold its third in a series of virtual public forums at 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 7.

The forum will provide members of the law enforcement community with an opportunity to discuss the unique challenges they face amid the debate over racial injustice and police reform.

Rochester Police Chief Cynthia Herriott-Sullivan, the first woman to hold that post, will be the keynote speaker. She has served for more than 20 years, retiring from the department in 2009 and returning in October to take over as chief. In 2000, she became the first Black woman in the department to achieve the rank of lieutenant.

Other panelists include Ernest Hart, NYPD deputy commissioner of legal matters and Assistant Chief Ruben Beltran of the NYPD Patrol Borough, Queens South.

The mission of NYSBA’s Task Force on Racial Injustice and Police Reform is to understand the issues that contribute to police misconduct and provide recommendations to policymakers, law enforcement and the judiciary to end deleterious policing practices that disproportionately impact persons of color.

The task force is chaired by NYSBA President-Elect T. Andrew Brown and Taa Grays, a former association vice president from the first judicial district. Brown and Grays will moderate the forum.

To register for the forum, view the first two forums or to find out more information about the task force, go to www.nysba.org/racialinjustice.

The task force is also soliciting written testimony in advance of the public forums. Comments or testimony must be submitted to fightinginjustice@nysba.org in advance of the hearing.

About the New York State Bar Association
The New York State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. Since 1876, the Association has helped shape the development of law, educated and informed the legal profession and the public, and championed the rights of New Yorkers through advocacy and guidance in our communities.

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Contact: Brendan Kennedy
bkennedy@nysba.org
518/487-5541