Rochester woman police chief, pinned to the ground by Rochester officers

 Rochester woman police chief, pinned to the ground by Rochester officers.

Cynthia Herriott-Sullivan has been appointed Rochester's new interim police chief -- the first woman to hold the position -- amid criticism over the handling of the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died in March after he was seen being pinned to the ground by Rochester police officers.

Police Chief La'Ron Singletary was fired in the wake of Prude's death.

"Traditional policing practices must be altered and improved to better serve and protect our citizens," Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren said at a news conference Saturday.

Herriott-Sullivan brings a "fresh approach to policing" and is "uniquely qualified to deal with the many current issues that the city of Rochester is facing," Warren said.

Herriott-Sullivan, a Rochester native, left the Rochester Police Department in 2009, after about 24 years of service.

"Interestingly, I left law enforcement because I wanted to have a bigger hand in helping people stay out of jail, rather than putting in that," she said at the news conference. "So I moved on to roles helping deal with criminal justice disparities."

Prude, 41, died one week after being restrained by Rochester police during a mental health emergency. Officers put a spit bag on his head and pinned him to the ground.

The Monroe County medical examiner listed his death as a homicide caused by "complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint."

Seven officers who were at the scene were suspended without pay.