Rochester to partially defund police after ‘spit hood’ death of Daniel Prude as NY AG announces grand jury investigation
A CITY in upstate New York is partially defunding its police — moving its crisis intervention team from within the police department to its department of youth and recreation services.
Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren announced the police reform in a Sunday press conference after chaotic protests were sparked by the March death of Daniel Prude.
Prude, a black man with mental illness, was naked and handcuffed when he died after police covered his head in a mesh “spit hood,” claiming he had COVID-19.
On Thursday, Warren suspended the seven police officers involved in Prude’s death against the advice of Rochester City Council, WXXI reported.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a Saturday statement that her office would form a grand jury to investigate his death and Gov. Andrew Cuomo has called for the investigation to be expedited.
“The Prude family and the Rochester community have been through great pain and anguish,” James said.
Crisis intervention teams are specialized police units that are trained to interact with mentally ill people who have repeated contact with police to minimize their risks of injury or death at the hands of cops.
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Rochester’s plan to move the crisis intervention team and its budget from the police department comes as the deaths of Prude and George Floyd have sparked calls from Black Lives Matter activists to defund the police.
Calls to defund the police have since become political fodder between presidential nominees Joe Biden and Donald Trump – who have both accused each other of “kowtowing” to the movement.