Police surveillance and privacy – Rochester BeaconRochester Beacon
Police surveillance and privacy – Rochester BeaconRochester Beacon
https://rochesterbeacon.com/2026/03/26/police-surveillance-and-privacy/
Publish Date: 2026-03-26 09:00:00
Source Domain: rochesterbeacon.com
In October 2025, Gov. Kathy Hochul visited Rochester, touring the RPD command room where the blue light cameras are monitored. | Photo: Governor’s Press Office
On the heels of the release of a new report, the Police Accountability Board was dealt yet another blow to its operations.
Last Friday, state Supreme Court’s Appellate Division ruled against restoring the board’s investigative powers. The PAB brought the appeal after the Rochester Police union, the Locust Club, won its suit against the oversight board in April 2025. The upheld decision strips the board of many of its disciplinary and investigative powers, including the ability to publish reports with disciplinary recommendations.
As they have handled court losses in the past, PAB leadership stressed that they are disappointed but still feel they can impact change by presenting policy recommendations.
“While the lawsuits have tried to limit or even extinguish what we do, it hasn’t. I think it’s just strengthened our resolve, it’s ignited some more creativity, but that has not stopped the work,” said PAB executive director Lesli Myers-Small in a recent video.
“People are wondering, ‘Okay, well, what are you doing at the Police Accountability Board?’ We are still able to get out and to educate the community,” she continued. “We’re still able to create policies and review the general orders. We’re still able to do oversight investigations. We’re still able to look at patterns and trends.”
One example of examining patterns and trends is the board’s latest draft proposal, “Surveillance Technology and Privacy Impact Assessments: A Proposal for Change,” released last week.
PAB proposals for change are formal recommendations to revise policies and practices that impact the Rochester Police Department. The RPD chief is required to respond to these proposals, stating whether or not the department will accept the changes and giving a…
