A reporter for WNYC attended the February 25 Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Operations Committee meeting discussion of Public Safety Department brutality allegations. Today, WNYC reported on this ongoing Roosevelt Island controversy. According to WNYC:
… There have been many complaints about public safety on Roosevelt Island, and not only about the way the officers have acted, but the way the RIOC has responded to those complaints, like Micah Kellner, who represent the island in the Assembly. We cant have an agency investigating itself….
and RIOC Public Safety Director Keith Guerra:
… said in a statement he cant comment on pending litigation, but emphasized he does not tolerate excessive use of force or the violation of constitutional rights. But some residents say that force has been used excessively by safety officers for years, particularly against young people.
We need to rebuild the trust and the respect of the public safety so that they can be effective, said Michael Shinozaki, a RIOC board member, and that RIOC can be effective in improving the quality of the life on the island.
RIOC plans to hire an outside consultant to review the public safety departments work, but some say this doesnt get to the heart of the problem….
Click here for the entire WNYC article and listen to the report below. More on the February 25 RIOC Operations Committee meeting discussion of Public Safety Brutality allegations here.