I went to the Rochester City Website. Only one of the leaders had their email address up available for all to see.
He was Darel Porter. So I wrote to him. He has since replied Three (!!!) times to me with more information as it became available. This, even though I made it clear that I was not a resident of Rochester.
Appended below is an email he sent me this morning. It sounds like they are handling it. All charges have been dismissed and He's acknowlidging that the officers may have acted incorrectly.
Mr Porter explicitly states that it is not the policy of the city to interfere with people videotaping police activities. No wiggle room there.
This is not a boiler plate letter. He took the time to write this to me. Note the little line at the end "One Day You May Become A Rochester Resident".
Overall, I'm really impressed with this guy.
Don
Thank you Donald,
Below you will find a copy of the Joint News Release by our Mayor Thomas S. Richards, City Council President Lovely A. Warren and Chief of Police James Sheppard:
(Monday, June 27, 2011)-We support the decision of the Monroe County District Attorney’s office to dismiss the criminal charges against Emily Good. Whatever the specific circumstances that led to Ms. Good’s arrest, we see no purpose in pursuing the criminal charges.
We believe that the incident that led to Ms. Good’s arrest and the subsequent ticketing for parking violations of vehicles belonging to members of an organization associated with Ms. Good raise issues with respect to the conduct of Rochester Police Officers that require an internal review. A review into both matters has been initiated.
Police officers must be able to cope with a high degree of stress while performing often times dangerous duties, relying on their training and experience to guide their behavior. As routine as a traffic stop may appear, it has proven over time to be a potentially dangerous activity for police. None the less, police must conduct themselves with appropriate respect for the rights of those involved or who are observing their actions.
There is a mandated legal process that governs our internal response when police officers behavior is called into question. We must respect this process and that may be frustrating to those who may have already made up their mind about the outcome. We have confidence that the review will be fair and impartial and invite Ms. Good and anyone else with firsthand information to participate. We will withhold our judgment until the review is completed.
Whatever the outcome of the internal review, we want to make clear that it is not the policy or practice of the Rochester Police Department to prevent citizens from observing its activities-including photographing or videotaping-as long as it does not interfere with the safe conduct of those activities. It is also not the policy or practice of the Department to selectively enforce laws in response to the activities of a group or individual. This has always been the case and it is being reinforced within the Department, so that it will be abundantly clear to everyone.
I hope this is to your satisfaction, and we take the time because we care what you think.
Note: One Day You May Become A Rochester Resident!
Darryl W. Porter
Assistant to the Mayor