Federal lawsuit alleges brutality by Rochester police | National News

“Mayor Warren is dedicated to implementing these reforms based on her record that all officers wear and use body-worn cameras, eliminate red light cameras, and form Rochester’s Person In Crisis teams,” said Roj.

He said the police department had already revised the way officers respond to protests.

The lawsuit includes photos of injured and bloody protesters after clashes with police in the days following the release of the police camera video in September showing Prude’s detention six months earlier.

“In keeping with its long history, the city responded with extreme violence and militarized police tactics – including the use of batons, tear gas, lightning grenades, armored vehicles and police dogs – to intimidate protesters,” the file said. “In just three days, Rochester Police Department officers seriously injured hundreds of demonstrators.”

Attorney Katie McCarthy attributed much of the problem to the makeup of the police department, the majority of which are white and out-of-town officials, and the lack of serious consequences for officers suspected of wrongdoing.

“They don’t live here, they don’t pay taxes here, but they commute to the police to monitor people and protect property that doesn’t even belong to them,” McCarthy said during a video press conference. “There’s a big interruption when you have a city where mostly black and brown people are being watched by these outside white police and that goes back decades.”

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