HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007 Community Police Board Annual ReportCOMMUNITY POLICE BOARD REPORT TO COMMON COUNCIL
SUMMARY OF 2007, submitted January 2008
2007 brought 21 complaints to the CPB. This is an increase from 14 or 66%
more than 2006. The past several years have varied from 10 to 16 per year.
There does not appear to be any particular reason (eg the enforcement of noise
rules ) for the increase this year, as most of the complaints are from local citizens
rather than complaints from students about police treatment during their
parties. The chart below breaks the finished complaints into categories that
indicate the resolutions.*
Year
Carried
FOUNDED
UNFOUNDED
CONCILIATED
WITHDRAWN
TOTAL
forward
2007
Still under
5
4
5
4
21
Investigation
3
Several resignations brought the number of board members to a current
number of five, and three spots remain to be filled. The youth position,
previously filled by a high school senior, is also open, as she has moved from the
city to attend college. This leaves the Board in a somewhat vulnerable position if
the rise in complaints continues. Some of our members carried- two
investigations simultaneously toward the end of this year, and this can be quite
time consuming. We are hoping to fill at least some of the empty spots before
Spring.
Tabling at the Commons Harvest Festival in October continues to be an excellent
place to extend knowledge of our existence and purpose, as it is so well attended
by newcomers to the city, and our handouts attract children and therefore their
parents to the table. There is much interest on the part of newcomers, especially
those from other countries, about our program.
*For those new to the charts as the Board keeps them, the following is an
explanation of the categories.
The first column indicates cases that were opened the previous year and not
completed until sometime the following year. Founded complaints were those
that had tnvestlgatioits completed and- by collecting - information through
meetings with witnesses, complainants and police, were deemed to be valid.
Unfounded complaints are t66 fie" ire not enough evidence was collected or
the police officer and the complainant disagreed about what happened during
the incident. Some of these may have happened as the complainant stated, but
there was no way to back that up, and some may have been vengefulness or
resentment ofi the aft of the complainant and exaggerated or untrue.
Conciliatm coiigl §th those complainants who either spoke to someone in the
IPD ,or itceim.a report by our investigatin Board ember that resolved the
complaint for them. Withdrawn includes all t ose who id not follow thr9ugh in
responding to.. Or initial• contacts, as the and dogs not proceed with an
investigation unless the complainant Ivill meet !with a cofnmissiongr.
Page 2 of 2
Other events that occurred during the year:
A new 17 year old high school student was accepted in the Youth member position, and the
Board remained at full capacity throughout the year.
Outreach efforts included tabling with attractions for the children who bring their parents
to the display table: at Juneteenth, GIAC, and the Apple Harvest Festival. It was decided
by the Board to drop tabling at Ithaca Festival because of the enormous number of events
and people and the difficulty of conforming to the Festival requirements for tabling. The
Chili Cookout has proven too cold to sit for several hours, and so was recommended to be
dropped from the tabling list. The Colleges on the Commons was not held this year, but
will be included if it returns. In addition, the Chair was interviewed on WVBR and spoke
about our operations, and a column for the Ithaca Journal that explains our methods and
results has been published.
Submitted by Nancy Falconer, Staff
January 27, 2007
SUMMARY OF 1sT 10 MONTHS OF 2007
2007 has brought 20 complaints in the first ten months. ( Unless this is the summer and
winter of our discontent,) there does not appear to be any particular reason (eg the
enforcement of noise rules ) for the sudden increase, as most of the complaints are from
local citizens rather than students.
YEAR
Carried forward
FOUNDED
UNFOUNDED
CONCILIATED
WITHDRAWN
TOTAL
Still under
2007
Invgstigation
4
2
4
4
20
to
6
10/31
2002 6 1 4 !, 9 0 14
2001 I 3 1 1
2000 4 0 3 I 10 10 1 22
1999 6 2 j 0.5 3.5 2 18
I i
I 1998 1 3 O 2.5
6L%
As-
YEAR
Carried
forward
CONCILIAT
ED
FOUNDED
UNFOUN
DED
With
drawn
TOTAL
opened
NANCYF
Still
o en
2006
Community Police
i
6
!
� I
�?
I
I
i 14
Board Statistics
2005
3
1 2 1
1 /24 /20W
[2004
1
1 I 5 5
4 16
1 2 ! 4
i
3 I 10
200
O
2002 6 1 4 !, 9 0 14
2001 I 3 1 1
2000 4 0 3 I 10 10 1 22
1999 6 2 j 0.5 3.5 2 18
I i
I 1998 1 3 O 2.5
6L%
As-