Community Police Review Board

CPRB EMERGENCY MEETING MINUTES Thursday, July 31, 2025 – 5:30 PM A. Call to Order The July 31, 2025 emergency meeting of the CPRB was called to order by Chair Santos at 5:30 pm. The full meeting can be viewed on YouTube. B. Roll Call a. Chair Santos – Present b. Vice Chair Levendosky – Present c. Secretary Sowek – Present d. Member Harden – Present e. Member Collins-Hackett – Present f. Member Person – Present C. Public Comment a. Tom Ellis, longtime Albany resident. Mr. Ellis spoke to the importance of independent police oversight to instill public trust. b. Melanie Trimble, ACLU Regional Director. Ms. Trimble spoke to the long- storied history of the CPRB and the consistent support the ACLU has provided to the Board since its inception. Ms. Trimble stated that the powers of the CPRB to independently investigate citizen complaints must continue to be fully funded and she urged the Common Council and other City Officials to stand with the CPRB. c. Zarina Jalal Owner of Lincoln Pharmacy, Co-founder of the Muslim Advocacy Coalition. Ms. Jalal spoke to the need for more advocacy and more one-on-one, face-to-face interaction with the youth in our City. As a mother of two teenage boys, Ms. Jalal is concerned that much more transparency and accountability of police oversight is needed. She requested that local law enforcement prioritize people over property and also address the gun violence that is resurging in the City, especially involving young people. d. Merton Simpson Albany County Legislator District 2. Mr. Simpson recounted the history of Officer involved shootings in New York State going back to 1978. Mr. Simpson encouraged public officials and the community to support the important work of independent police oversight. Mr. Simpson stated that due to the many challenges we are facing as a nation, funding the CPRB is essential to promote trust, transparency and accountability. e. Ta Sean Murdock Executive Director Center for Law and Justice. Mr. Murdock spoke about the barriers the CPRB has had to overcome in the past. Mr. Murdock Published: August 7, 2025 Approved by Vote: October 8, 2025  voiced his concern that the same conversations around CPRB funding and operations are hindering the Board’s progress, which limits the progress of effective police oversight in Albany. Mr. Murdock encouraged the law makers to make smart decisions regarding the CPRB’s future. f. Chair Santos closed the Public Comment period and informed the public that the CPRB had released a 230+ page packet of information relating to the current state of the CPRB. g. Vice Chair Levendosky commented on the outreach to fill the vacant seats on the Board. Vice Chair Levendosky also thanked public officials for their engagement, but parts of his comment are inaudible. h. Member Collins-Hackett addressed the issues laid out in the packet, explaining the community does not see the inner workings of the Board, therefore the packet may offer the community answers to some of their questions regarding Board operations. Member Collins-Hackett stated in his opinion, the community is most concerned with the outcomes of the Board’s investigations. i. Member Harden thanked the Common Council and the community for their continued support and their interactions with Board members during the transition. Member Harden stressed the fact that all stakeholders must stay engaged in order for the CPRB to be sustained. Member Harden also mentioned the professionalism and guidance the Public Safety Committee Chair Hoey has extended to the Board. j. Member Sowek said she agreed with all of the members comments. k. Member Persons spoke about his commitment to the Board and he expressed his worry that the hard work of the Board members is not being recognized. l. Chair Santos thanked the Common Council for their responsiveness and availability to meet with the Board to discuss Board issues at all times. Chair Santos also stated her appreciation to Outside Counsel for their dedication to the Board as well as their guidance. m. Mr. Simpson raised a question regarding the information in the packet related to restricting the Board’s power. Chair Santos advised that she would address his question later in the meeting. n. Vice Chair Levendosky stated the CPRB budget had been submitted and that the budget would ensure the sustainability of the Board. D. Communications to the City of Albany E. 2025 Budget Negotiations Discussion F. New Business a. Status of CPRB Transition into City of Albany b. Discussion regarding CPRB Outside Counsel i. Chair Santos described the “tumultuous” transition process of the CPRB transitioning from the Albany Law School to the City. Chair Santos spoke about the location of the CPRB office and the staff. She invited community members that want to file complaints or have issues/questions regarding police oversight to make an appointment to come into the office. Chair Santos explained that the Board resumed complaint review at the June Published: August 7, 2025 Approved by Vote: October 8, 2025  monthly meeting and that investigations were still occurring prior to that date. ii. Vice Chair Levendosky comments are difficult to discern. iii. Member Collins-Hackett expressed his thoughts about the different issues facing the Board now that it is a City Agency, specifically the CPRB’s autonomy. iv. Member Harden spoke about the contract renewal for Outside Counsel based on the law that was passed in 2023. Member Harden mentioned that on July 17, 2025, Outside Counsel was relieved of their duties by the Common Council. The Board is currently in discussion with the City to retain Mr. Cannizzaro and Mr. Goldstein. v. Chair Santos stated that in the interest of transparency for the community, the CPRB must have Outside Counsel as opposed to Corporation Counsel that also represents APD. vi. Public Safety Chair Hoey agreed with the Chair that Outside Counsel is needed. He explained that Robert Wenner, Research Counsel for the Common Council, is in place to offer counsel to the CPRB until a Request for Proposal is issued. vii. Chair Santos advised the Board would prefer to retain the current Outside Counsel that is currently in place. Chair Santos expressed her confusion as to why it is necessary to start from square one to establish Outside Counsel, when the Board is very satisfied with Mr. Cannizzaro and Mr. Goldstein. viii. The discussion between Membership continued but parts of the conversation are difficult to discern. It appeared that the majority of the members felt they had experienced obstruction from the City during the transition and that the obstruction to implement certain procedures is ongoing. ix. Member Harden expressed her concern that the ongoing obstruction would impact the integrity of the Board. x. An unidentified community member reiterated the Board’s position that Outside Counsel is necessary, he agreed that sharing counsel with the APD would be a conflict of interest. xi. Kevin Cannizzaro weighed in to concur with the Board’s decision to renew current Outside Counsel contracts. G. Executive Session a. Member Harden announced that the Board would review and decide on the resolution related to a CPRB staff member. Member Harden moved to enter Executive Session, Vice Chair Levendosky seconded the motion. i. Vote Count 1. Affirmative – 6 all members present 2. Against – 0 3. Abstention – 0 b. Executive Session began at 6:37 pm. Published: August 7, 2025 Approved by Vote: October 8, 2025  c. At 7: 15 pm Member Harden moved to end the executive session and reconvene the emergency meeting, Vice Chair Levendosky seconded the motion. i. Vote Count 1. Affirmative – 6 all members present 2. Against – 0 3. Abstention – 0 H. Resolutions a. Chair Santos introduced the resolution that was discussed in the Executive Session, but did not provide any additional information on the resolution, topic or content. b. Member Harden moved vote on the resolution, Member Collins-Hackett seconded the motion. i. Vote Count 1. Affirmative – 6 all members present 2. Against – 0 3. Abstention – 0 I. Adjournment a. Chair Santos moved adjourn, Vice Chair Levendosky seconded i. Vote count 1. Affirmative – 6 all members present 2. Against – 0 3. Abstention – 0 The meeting was adjourned at 7:30pm. Published: August 7, 2025 Approved by Vote: October 8, 2025