Rochester mayor takes pledge to review and reform police use of force policies
Rochester Mayor Kim Norton has added her name to a growing list of mayors pledging to address their city’s use of force policies.
In taking the pledge — which is being driven by former President Barack Obama and his foundation’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance — the mayor has committed the city to reviewing and reforming its use of force policies.
The mayor announced she had signed on to the pledge one day after Obama hosted a virtual town hall in the midst of nationwide protests against racial injustice. In his address, Obama urged mayors and other elected officials tasked with appointing police chiefs to review their use of force policies with their communities and to commit to reporting on planned reforms.
"We need mayors, county executives, others who are in positions of power to say this is a priority,” said Obama. “This is a specific response.”
In a separate online forum, organized Thursday by Med City Beat, Norton told local activists that she does have a commitment from Police Chief Jim Franklin to take the necessary steps outlined in Obama’s plan.
She said the next step will be to bring in members of Rochester’s Police Oversight Commission. Their next meeting is Tuesday, June 9.
“This will be handed to them because it really does require citizen input,” the mayor said.
In addition to Norton, other mayors taking the pledge include District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey
My Brother’s Keeper estimates that more than 1,000 people are killed by police every year in America, with black people three times more likely to be killed than white people.
(Editor’s note: On Friday’s edition of the Rochester Rundown, we will hear more from the mayor, along with local law enforcement and student demonstrators, on what steps need to be taken to rebuild trust between police and the communities they serve. The podcast will be available on all major streaming services.)
Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.
Cover photo: Mayor Norton in 2019 / William Forsman
