NEW YORK CITY, NY –
New York Attorney General Letitia James has released security-camera footage from a fatal July crash involving a state parole officer, giving the public a limited view of an incident that remains under investigation.
Prasanna Atluri died after the July 5 collision in Cayuta, Schuyler County. The Attorney General’s Office said she was a passenger in one of the vehicles. A New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision parole officer was driving the other vehicle.
According to the state, the crash happened shortly before 5 a.m. near the intersection of State Route 224 and State Route 13. The officer was driving to work. Atluri was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The Office of Special Investigation released footage from two security cameras on October 2. The public release follows an Attorney General’s Office directive intended to increase transparency in cases where an officer may have caused a person’s death.
The footage release does not establish who was at fault. It does not determine whether a crime occurred, whether charges will be filed or whether agency discipline is warranted. James’ office said the release is not an expression of any opinion about guilt or innocence.
OSI opened its investigation under Executive Law Section 70-b. The law requires the office to assess deaths that may have been caused by a police officer or peace officer, including a corrections officer, through an act or omission. The officer may be on or off duty, and the person who died may or may not have been in custody.
That mandate makes the inquiry broader than a routine traffic investigation. Investigators can examine vehicle data, crash reconstruction, roadway conditions, traffic controls, witness accounts and whether the officer’s conduct contributed to Atluri’s death.
The state has not announced a charging decision. It also has not publicly answered key questions about speed, right of way, the sequence of impact or what the two recordings show beyond the collision itself.
Atluri’s family and the public deserve a clear account of how the crash happened and how investigators reached any final conclusion. Releasing video is one step toward transparency. A complete investigation, supported by evidence and a public explanation, is what will determine whether anyone is held accountable.
Sources
New York Attorney General, footage release and investigation update
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