Central Current

This story originally appeared in New York Focus, a nonprofit news publication investigating power in New York. Sign up for their newsletter here. In New York’s first-ever effort to track its own use of artificial intelligence, only 13 of the state’s roughly 100 agencies publicly reported using the technology in a way that could “directly impact the public” — fueling concerns that the state’s AI transparency guidelines are too ambiguous for effective oversight.

Syracuse Housing Authority paid former Executive Director Bill Simmons more than $274,000 after he agreed to retire a year before his contract with SHA was set to expire, according to a copy of the separation agreement obtained by Central Current through a public records request. Simmons joined SHA in 2006 as the authority’s assistant director before taking over as executive director in 2007. His contract was set to expire July 31, 2027.

Over the last few days, I was trying to remember think of how one particular column, so long ago, came to be. In 2001, I was writing for Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard. Certainly, I remember the late Van Robinson talking about the central question whenever we saw each other, whether at City Hall or elsewhere in downtown Syracuse.

The age of Axon Enterprise license plate readers in Syracuse commenced — but the Syracuse Police Department has been using Axon license plate reading technology for years. The Syracuse police department confirmed Wednesday afternoon that 14 of its 26 new Axon license plate readers have been installed and were activated Monday at 7:00 a.m. The department is waiting for Axon to install the remaining 12 readers.

Syracuse lawmakers on Wednesday will hear opinions from legal experts advocating for the city to preserve its independent police accountability body, after a Rochester court ruled a similar review body could not investigate police misconduct complaints.

More than 200 people gathered at Wilson Park on the city’s Southside on Saturday as cars whizzed past over their heads. For the sixth year in a row, the park nestled between Interstate 81 and Pioneer Homes played host to Syracuse police officer Brandon Hanks’ and Syracuse Housing Authority’s 10K basketball tournament. It will be the last held at the park for the foreseeable future because of the teardown of the Interstate 81 viaduct.

Forty minutes before a committee meeting where the legislature planned to discuss whether to take legal action regarding County Executive Ryan McMahon’s mistakenly signed term limit bill, McMahon put out a statement establishing what he called a “path forward.” “The people of Onondaga County deserve better than confusion, division and costly litigation. They deserve a process that restores confidence and lets voters decide on this issue the right way,” said McMahon in the statement.

While Onondaga County’s two elections commissioners have lawyered up over a term limits spat now past its first week, the county’s law department is already planning to be over its budget for outside counsel by about least $557,000, said Comptroller Marty Masterpole. Even as Masterpole gave an estimate, he said the total overage was a “moving target.” “They are spending money on attorneys daily,” said Masterpole.

Syracuse Police Chief Mark Rusin committed to fulfilling a promise made by his department four years ago to publish its license plate reader policy and regular reports of how it used those tools. The policy was the primary transparency measure recommended by the city’s hand-picked technology experts when the city decided it wanted to use the readers.

Syracuse residents got closure this week in the city’s monthslong breakup with Flock Safety. The company on Wednesday confirmed that it had removed all of its 13 license plate readers from city property. The removal of Flock’s devices marks the end of a saga beginning eight months ago, when Syracuse Common Councilors Corey Williams and Jimmy Monto in November first considered legislation to block Flock’s access to city streets.