Community Mediation Programs

The focus of Community Mediation is to promote alternative dispute resolution processes that enable individuals, community/neighborhood groups, and organizations to resolve conflicts without litigation; and to improve community group and personal relationships through neutral third party, fact finding, conciliating, facilitating, mediation and arbitration.

Community programs and services provided by The Center for Dispute Settlement include:

Police-Related Programs

Increasing community involvement in policing issues is the focus of CDS's police-related programs which include:

 

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

Community Mediation/Arbitration

  • Audience: Parties in a dispute who may be referred to CDS by courts, police, community agencies or who may contact CDS directly.
  • Benefits: Provide an objective environment for disputing parties to resolve their differences in a legally binding manner without the direct intervention of the court system.
  • Availability: Our standard eight-county region (Wayne, Ontario, Seneca, Yates, Livingston, Monroe, Cayuga and Steuben).

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Employer/Employee Mediation

  • Audience: Employees and employers at large and small private businesses.
  • Benefits: Protect and improve employer-employee relations.
  • Availability: Our standard eight-county region (Wayne, Ontario, Seneca, Yates, Livingston, Monroe, Cayuga and Steuben).

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Small-Claims Mediation/Arbitration

  • Audience: Parties in dispute over matters referred to Small-Claims Court involving claims of up to $5,000.
  • Benefits: Dramatically reduced costs and fees.
  • Availability: Our standard eight-county region (Wayne, Ontario, Seneca, Yates, Livingston, Monroe, Cayuga and Steuben).

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Commercial Arbitration/Mediation

  • Audience: Businesses and organizations.
  • Benefits: Avoid lost productivity due to interpersonal conflicts.
  • Availability: Our standard eight-county region (Wayne, Ontario, Seneca, Yates, Livingston, Monroe, Cayuga and Steuben).

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Intervention Services

  • Audience: Organizations, schools, businesses and community groups who are experiencing multi-party and/or organizational conflict.
  • Benefits: The use of third-party neutral professionals to assist in the assessment and resolution of a dysfunctional situation.
  • Availability: Our standard eight-county region (Wayne, Ontario, Seneca, Yates, Livingston, Monroe, Cayuga and Steuben).

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Elections

  • Audience: Community groups, municipal and county agencies and corporations.
  • Benefits: Third-party neutral election officials to ensure objective and fair voting procedures and outcomes.
  • Availability: Our standard eight-county region (Wayne, Ontario, Seneca, Yates, Livingston, Monroe, Cayuga and Steuben).

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POLICE-RELATED PROGRAMS

Law Enforcement Civilian Oversight and Review

  • Audience: Three civilians, selected on a rotating basis, from a pool of qualified mediators to review citizen complaints that have been investigated by the Professional Standards Section of the Rochester Police Department.
  • Benefits: Civilian oversight and review of allegations of wrong doing with recommendations forwarded to the City of Rochester Police Chief.
  • Availability: Monroe County.

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Police Conciliation

  • Audience: Citizens who have filed a complaint against a City of Rochester police officer.
  • Benefits: Bring closure to the incident by clarifying each other's perspectives and the circumstances surrounding the incident.
  • Availability: Monroe County.

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Sheriff’s Review Panel

  • Audience: A three-member panel comprised of trained mediators that review completed investigations of citizen complaints about employees of the Sheriff's Department.
  • Benefits: Civilian oversight and review of allegations of wrong doing with recommendations forwarded to the Monroe County Sheriff.
  • Availability: Monroe County.

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Police Complaint Intake (City of Rochester & Town of Irondequoit)

  • Audience: Citizens who wish to initiate formal personnel complaints against members of the City of Rochester or Town of Irondequoit Police Departments.
  • Benefits: Peaceful settlement and closure of citizen complaints.
  • Availability: City of Rochester & Town of Irondequoit.

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Police/Community Relations Program ("Building Bridges")

  • Audience: Residents who want a better understanding on matters of police policy and practice.
  • Benefits:  More positive interactions with law enforcement personnel and to become more participative in community-policing initiatives.
  • Availability: The Finger Lakes Region (Ontario, Seneca, Wayne and Yates County offices); Livingston, Monroe, Cayuga and Steuben counties.

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Kops 'n Kids

  • Audience: Youth and police officers.
  • Benefits: Build durable relationships with the police and youth.
  • Availability: The Finger Lakes Region (Ontario, Seneca, Wayne and Yates County offices); Livingston, Monroe, Cayuga and Steuben counties.

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Last updated: Monday,  May 22, 2006