Utica Common Council votes to approve citizen-led police advisory board

The Utica Common Council voted Wednesday to establish a civilian-led public safety advisory board — one of the few items left in the city's police reform plan.

The Civilian Public Safety Board will consist of seven Utica residents, with two members each selected by the mayor, common council and local nonprofits, as well as one appointed by the local NAACP chapter.

City-appointed positions can serve no more than three consecutive two-year terms, while others can only serve consecutive terms if there are no other eligible applicants.

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The board will receive citizen complaints and review civilian complaint investigations by the Utica police's professional standards unit. The board also would select an auditor to review the city's police and fire departments and release an annual report.

Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri announced last week he was proposing legislation to establish the board to the common council. It was one of several items recommended last February by Utica's police reform advisory committee as part of the state-mandated police reform plan.

H. Rose Schneider covers public safety, breaking and trending news for the Observer-Dispatch. Email Rose at hschneider@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Utica Common Council approves citizen police advisory board