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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007 CPB 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the finished complaints into categories that indicate the resolutions.* Year Carried FOUNDED UNFOUNDED CONCILIATED WITHDRAWN TOTAL forward 2007 Still under 5 4 5 4 21 Investigation 3 Several resignations brought the number of board members to a current number of five, and three spots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 comp_ leted until sometime the following year. Founded complaints were those that hall` mve§tigationg ; completed and- by collecting - information through meetings with witnesses, complainants and police, were deemed to be valid. Unfounded complaints are tdoW'v ei re 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 oh the art of the complainant and exaggerated or untrue. Couciliatcd cbuylsta -those complainants who either spoke to someone in the IPD ,or rtceiv'0'.a report by our investigatin Board rpember that resolved the complaint for them. Withdrawn includes all t ose who Oid not follow thrjugh in responding to.,' r initial- contacts, as the and dogs not proceed with an investigation unless the complainant rill meet!with a coimissionFr. 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 Investigation 4 2 4 4 20 to 6 10/31 0