Rochester police chief candidate Roy Alston will appeal his removal from the group of police chief finalists on Tuesday.
That appeal will take place before the Police and Civil Service Commission, , which voted to eliminate Alston — who under the confidential process was "Candidate B" — from the group of finalists because of what one commission member called "deliberate" misstatements made in his application. Tuesday’s hearing will be Alston’s opportunity to present evidence and testimony on why his background check "should not have been failed."
Alston identified himself as the candidate in a statement on Twitter, saying that decision was made after what he considers an "incomplete background investigation" that was "inaccurate" and "without context," according to a statement posted to Twitter. Alston added that he was not contacted by the background investigators to clarify the omission during the process.
Alston checked a box that indicated he had not been disciplined by any previous employers, said Jodi Grimm, a commission member at the May 16 meeting where members of the commission voted to remove Alston from the candidate list. The commission found during a deeper background investigation that he had been disciplined by a previous employer.
Rochester for Justice, a local social justice organization, is planning a "show of solidarity" for Alston at the appeal hearing on Tuesday.
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"It doesn’t seem like the type of thing that should disqualify someone after a 20-plus year career in law enforcement," said Kamau Wilkins, co-founder of the organization last week. "What I hope, ultimately, is that the commission takes another look."
WHAT: Police Civil Service Commission meeting
WHEN: 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 5
WHERE: Fire Station 2, Emergency Operations Center, 2185 Wheelock Dr NE (Drive around the facility to lower level to park and enter)
