ALBANY — City officials say an internal investigation into the conduct of an Albany police officer caught on video punching a woman in the face as he attempted to take her into custody earlier this month is ongoing. But the investigation comes at a time when the independent board tasked with reviewing such allegations of police misconduct, the Community Police Review Board, is unable to take any action.
The Albany Common Council on Friday released a statement noting that the CPRB, a police oversight agency that investigates complaints of alleged misconduct by officers of the Albany Police Department, will remain “actively involved” in the investigation process. But with a lack of quorum following the abrupt resignations of three of its members in late October, the board cannot hold any public meetings.
The alleged misconduct was captured on Nov. 4 in a video filmed by a bystander. The video shows the police officer — who the department has not publicly named, citing the department’s protocol — punching a woman in the face as he attempted to take her into custody outside the Washington Avenue branch of the Albany Public Library. Albany police say officers were called to the area near Lark Street and Washington Avenue for a fight. The department said it had launched an investigation into the officer’s conduct, but would not say when the internal investigation started, nor if the investigation had been prompted by a complaint filed with the department by a private citizen or if another officer had alerted the department…