Syracuse residents gathered on the Northside on Tuesday night to provide feedback to city officials about what they want to see in a new police chief.

Current Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler will retire at the end of this year, and Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens has been hosting public forums for the community to provide input on who the city should hire to fill his position. Owens said the main goal of the forums is to get some feedback from the community through engagement.

“We want to get away from the perception of the police as just a car riding through the neighborhood,” Owens said.

At St. Lucy’s Church on Gifford Street, about 50 people spread out around tables to discuss questions about the search process. The questions ranged from what their experiences have been with the Syracuse Police Department to what a new police chief could do for the community.

This was the sixth out of nine public forums Owens is hosting, she said. Owens said the city is trying to get input from the community before officials conduct a nationwide search.

The national search will start this summer, Owens said. By November, candidates will be narrowed down, and the new chief should start to transition into the position this December, she said.

The main point of concern at the forum was the effects of community policing and what the new police chief will do to address those concerns.

“Community policing can be done better in the city of Syracuse,” Owens said.

Resident Abdul-Ra’oof Mustafa said that, from past experience, he doesn’t think the forums will change anything.

“I have been to all kinds of things like this, and everything basically has remained the same. You can get different programs … there isn’t any positive outcome, but we continue to do the same thing,” Mustafa said.

Mustafa said he likes these events, but he wants to ask Mayor Ben Walsh and Owens about what would they like to see in a police chief. He said regardless of what they say, he believes that the decision will be based on self-interest.

“The only time we have a conversation about community and policing would be when something terrible happens, like when a black man gets shot,” Mustafa said.

Other residents said they want a police chief who would work on building relationships with the community. Owens said the thing they are looking for is someone who’s responding and engaging in the community.

At other forums, city residents criticized current policing methods, transparency and accountability. Joe Driscoll, common councilor of the 5th district, also said most of the SPD police force lives outside of Syracuse, at a past meeting.

Published on April 18, 2018 at 12:11 am

Contact Bianca: bmoorman@syr.edu