The Rochester City Council has outlined a series of proposals to overhaul City Public Safety, changing the way the Rochester Police Department would function in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Council President Loretta Scott and other council members say they propose to reduce the size of the incoming RPD class by half, 19 recruits instead of 38. That would save $750,000 which the city could use to support Black and Brown communities, according to Councilman Malik Evans.
The proposed 2021 city and city school district budget removes School Resource Officers from Rochester schools and reduces the police budget by about $3.6 million. Some of that money is moved to Recreation and Youth Services.
Council will also fund an appeal to Judge John Arks decision stripping the city’s Police Accountability Board of its ability to discipline police officers.