The Syracuse Citizen Review Board is marking their 31st anniversary with programming and advocacy.
The second annual CRB Week is being held in Syracuse, kicking off with a March for Accountability. CRB members and community advocates marched in Downtown Syracuse to advocate for the organization and the community it serves. Ranette Releford, CRB administrator, is calling on community members to support the organization.
“This is my community, born and raised here, and we know that there are a lot of things we need to work on,” Releford said. “As we continue to advocate for those things around policing, we ask you to hold our hands, we ask you to push us forward, we ask you to be a voice and fight with us.”
Releford said CRB offers checks and balances to the police department, just like other government agencies.
“We try to continue to try and make policy and training recommendations, we continue to try and strive for more funding, we continue to try and strive for more power as it relates to what is in the legislation itself to give, again, more powder to the people and to continue to make people understand that accountability is necessary,” Releford
The CRB is currently seeking a review over legislation that would provide them with “more authority with police oversight” – including increased access to police body-worn camera footage. Community Engagement Coordinator with CRB, Anthony Heard said advocating for citizens and new legislation takes time and effort.
“We take this one day at a time and it is definitely a work in progress,” Heard said.
CRB Week will continue with a community open house, public board meeting and community outreach day.
