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Former United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch will help guide the creation of a board to review complaints against the Department of Public Safety as part of her ongoing investigation of the department.

Lynch’s proposed Public Safety Community Review Board will hear, review and recommend actions in response to allegations of misconduct by DPS officers. The proposal was the first concrete measure to emerge from Lynch’s review.

Lynch announced the proposal for the review board in August, seven months after beginning the investigation, and released a proposed framework in September based on feedback she received from the SU community.

SU plans to establish its Public Safety Community Review Board during the 2020-21 academic year. As the fall semester draws to an end, here’s an explainer on Lynch’s review so far and what a DPS review board might look like:

How it started

Chancellor Kent Syverud announced Lynch’s investigation in February, only a week after DPS began facing backlash for officers’ treatment of student protesters at Crouse-Hinds Hall.

#NotAgainSU, a movement led by Black students, occupied Crouse-Hinds for 31 days last spring as part of its protests against SU’s response to hate incidents on campus. DPS sealed the building off for two days at the start of the occupation, preventing food or supplies from entering the building.

Protesters who gathered outside Crouse-Hinds physically struggled with DPS officers multiple times during the occupation. One video posted to social media shows DPS Deputy Chief John Sardino reaching for his holster during a struggle with protesters.

Lynch served as attorney general under President Barack Obama and comes from the Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison law firm. Her work has focused on improving community-police relations.

Who gave feedback

By the time she announced her proposal for a review board in August, Lynch said she had spoken with several students, faculty and administrators over the course of her investigation. Lynch used this feedback from the SU community to develop her framework.

Lynch’s team hosted a series of listening sessions with students, faculty, staff and DPS personnel to guide their recommendations for the review board’s makeup and operating procedures. The team also reached out to various student leaders and asked them to share their availability to schedule a time to discuss their views on DPS.

Student Association sent a DPS Experiences and Concerns Form to the student body in June. The form received over 100 responses, all of which Lynch and her team reviewed.

How will the board work

Under Lynch’s proposed framework, the Community Review Board will consist of two undergraduate students, one graduate student, two faculty members, two administrators and two staff members. Board members should elect a chairperson and attend a day of anti-bias training each year.

Board members will review DPS investigations of officers that have been accused of misconduct and may agree or disagree with the results of the investigations. They may also reopen an investigation.

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MORE COVERAGE:

• SU expects Loretta Lynch to finish DPS review in December
• Loretta Lynch releases proposed framework on DPS review board
• Loretta Lynch to release recommendations on DPS review board in September

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Board members will also hear appeals from certain DPS findings, review and comment on new DPS policies and training procedures and publish an annual report that reviews how the department handles issues.

In evaluating cases, the board will have the authority to review video footage, written witness statements and other items that are part of its investigation record. The board will submit its recommendations to the chancellor to make a final decision.

What’s next

Lynch encouraged members of the SU community to review the framework and send feedback. It is still unclear exactly when this year the review board will begin functioning.

Aside from proposing the review board, Lynch has yet to publish conclusions regarding her investigation into DPS. Faculty at a University Senate meeting this month expressed concerns that Lynch has yet to conclude her investigation eight months since it began.

Lynch will submit her report to the Board of Trustees Special Committee on University Climate, Diversity and Inclusion before it is released to the public, Syverud said at the senate meeting.

SU expects Lynch to complete her review in December, but the university may not share details of the report with the public until it is finalized, Syverud said.

Published on October 25, 2020 at 10:36 pm

Contact Sarah: scalessa@syr.edu | @sarahalessan