The City of Peekskill Appoints Five Residents to Serve on the Civilian Complaint Review Board

The city of Peekskill Common Council appointed five residents to serve on the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) during its Council meeting on Monday, Nov. 27. The five members appointed to the CCRB are Dennis Adams, Jay Buckiewicz, Antonio Knott, Lisa McClain, and Harriet Ray. The CCRB provides a governmental structure to fairly investigate, review and dispose of civilian complaints made against police officers, giving due regard for the rights and interests of both the civilians and police officers.

“I am excited for the appointment of these five individuals to serve on our Civilian Complaint Review Board,” said Mayor Vivian McKenzie. “The creation of a Civilian Complaint Review Board was one of the recommendations formed by our Police Reform Task Force and I look forward to the CCRB finally coming to fruition as our city takes steps to further enhance our police department, improve communications between the police and the community, and provide opportunities for citizens to be heard.” 

Adams is a 30-year Peekskill resident who has served as an officer for the United States Navy and is currently a ConEd utility manager where he provides expertise in electric distribution construction, operations and emergency response. Adams is also a head coach for Downstate Volleyball Club and has been actively involved in the Peekskill City School District as a girls’ volleyball coach across the modified junior varsity and varsity levels. 

Buckiewicz has resided in the city of Peekskill for 40 years and worked as a clinical psychologist at the United States Veterans Affairs at Montrose for 37 years until his retirement in December 2020. As a clinical psychologist for the VA Montrose, Buckiewicz provided individual and group psychotherapy to outpatient and hospitalized veterans, directed services for incarcerated veterans in the New York State Department of Corrections, and performed compensation and pension examinations for veterans seeking service-connected disability claims. Since his retirement, Buckiewicz has been an active member of the Peekskill NAACP where he is currently chair of the Environmental Justice Committee. As a member of the CCRB, Buckiewicz looks forward to educating the community about the workings of the police department, increasing community action and providing greater transparency. 

Knott has been a city of Peekskill resident for five years and is currently a senior finance manager for Fair Health Inc., a nonprofit organization where he leads all finance-related activities, including accounting, budgeting, financial planning and analysis. Outside of his professional career, Knott is actively involved in Peekskill Pride, a nonprofit organization supporting the LGBTQIA+ community, where he serves as a treasurer. Knott was a co-chair of the Peekskill Police Reform Task Force where he helped lead and prepare a plan of recommendations with input from the community and members of the task force. 

McClain has been a city of Peekskill resident since September 2022, and is currently a supervising investigator for the New York Department of Corrections where she supervises and acts as a tour commander in a large unit performing disciplinary investigations and ensures the integrity, professionalism and accountability of staff based on policy, procedures, rules and regulations. In addition to her career, McClain is currently a student at The New School where she will receive a Ph.D. in Public and Urban Policy. 

Ray has resided in the city of Peekskill for over 29 years working as a senior billing expediter for the Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Division of Pulmonary Associates & Critical Care Medicine until her retirement in 2016. She looks forward to representing the diversity that comprises the community and gain a broader perspective of the legal system so that she can make carefully informed decisions. 

The goal of the CCRB is to increase community engagement, empower all members of the Peekskill community, inspire public confidence in Peekskill’s law enforcement, maximize communication and understanding between the police and the community, facilitate and foster civilian participation in the process of the investigation, become involved in the decision-making process and ultimate action upon complaints of police misconduct, and to improve police accountability. In addition to the five civilian members, the CCRB will also consist of two police officers in good standing. The five civilian members were nominated by a committee of prominent leaders from Peekskill’s NAACP, Latin, White, Black, Asian, clergy and LGTBQ+ communities, with a final approval made by the Common Council after conducting a full background check and reviewing criteria. All members of the CCRB will be appointed for a two-year term and will serve without compensation. 

The city of Peekskill is a thriving, historic community located on the banks of the Hudson River. Just under one hour north of New York City, Peekskill is culturally and economically vibrant with abundant natural resources due to its location on the river and at the gateway to the Hudson Highlands. With over three miles of continuous parkland, the waterfront is a regional destination with a variety of active and passive recreation, as well as breathtaking views of the Hudson River. The downtown area features an array of dining establishments, a growing arts community, and is a hub for new generation technology and multimedia.