06/01/2026
Two Prior R**e Allegations Against Former Ithaca Police Chief Pete Tyler — Neither Resulted in Charges - District Attorney Steps In - Then the Charges Disappear
SCS Operator 1 | Zone C - SCS Group Investigative Report
Court documents from a federal civil-rights lawsuit against the City of Ithaca contain sworn statements that the man who would later become the city's police chief, Pete Tyler, was the subject of two separate and very serious r**e allegations in the early 1990s — one investigated by the New York State Police and “closed” without charges, and one set out in a sworn affidavit that also accuses Pete Tyler of lying under oath about whether he knew his accuser. Pete Tyler was never arrested or charged in connection with either allegation, and no court has ruled on their merits. He has denied the central claims under oath.
SCS Group has reviewed the documents. The allegations disappeared when the victims decided not to move forward. What follows is drawn from the court record and the public record, along with private information.
A link to an electronic folder containing all relevant court documents, is available for citizens to view in the comments below.
The documents originate from Christopher Miller v. City of Ithaca, et al., No. 3:10-CV-597, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York. That case was an employment lawsuit brought by former Ithaca Police Department officer Christopher Miller, alleging discrimination and retaliation. This is the repetitive pattern at the Ithaca Police Department. If you are not one of the City of Ithaca and Tompkins County’s chosen henchmen, a sociopath with zero moral compass - and you make the mistake of pushing back on their agenda - they will retaliate in every way possible and try to force you out of the department.
This is exactly what happened to Thomas Condzella - except with Tom, it resulted in him committing su***de.
It was litigated for roughly a decade. The individual defendants — including Pete Tyler, former chiefs John Barber and Edward Vallely, the police union and Tompkins County — were gradually dismissed from the case, and the City of Ithaca settled with Miller for $420,000 in 2020, according to reporting by the Ithaca Times. This is the pattern. They target a specific Officer - then that Officer either leaves quietly, they leave and fight back in court, or they stay on the department and fight back in court. Then the City of Ithaca hands them a load of cash so that they don’t speak out about all of the disgusting corruption and activities that are really going on within the City of Ithaca and Tompkins County.
The r**e allegations described below were never adjudicated in that case or any other.
Two documents are central. The first is a sworn affidavit, notarized in February 2012 by Miller's attorney, A.J. Bosman, given by a woman whose name is redacted in the copy reviewed by SCS Group. The second is a transcript excerpt of Tyler's own sworn deposition testimony, taken by Bosman.
In the victim’s sworn statement, the affiant says she met Pete Tyler at an Ithaca dance club in or around 1991, when she was 20 years old and Tyler was a probationary police officer. She states that on a later occasion she went to his apartment, repeatedly declined his s*xual advances, and that Pete Tyler forcefully r**ed her. She states she told no one at the time because she was frightened and humiliated.
This is not only the r**e culture of the Ithaca Police Department, but of Ithaca and Tompkins County as a whole. Another example? Former Ithaca High School football coach Khyrie Brown forcefully r**ed multiple women, and underage girls. Him and his buddies would have parties in hotels, get women and girls drunk, and r**e them. This is a regular occurrence. Then the victims will never report the s*xual assaults to the Ithaca Police Department - because they know it will go absolutely nowhere - the Ithaca Police Department actively and purposely sabotages any and all s*x crimes cases that are brought to them. Khyrie Brown on at least one occasion, dragged an intoxicated girl into a bathroom, and forcefully r**ed her.
When NYSPA previously reported on Khyrie Brown, he fled the area, moved somewhere else, and deleted his social media. If any community members are aware of his current location, please send an email to [email protected].
Now, back to the other ra**st -
The affidavit's central legal claim is about Pete Tyler's credibility. The affiant states that Tyler testified under oath that he did not know her — and that this testimony is false. She lays out a series of encounters over the following two decades in which, she says, Tyler recognized her and addressed her by name. In her words, it is "not possible" that Tyler does not know her.
In the deposition excerpt reviewed by SCS Group, Tyler addresses a separate allegation. Questioned by Attorney Bosman, Tyler acknowledged that a woman — described in the record as an Ithaca College student at the time — had stated that he r**ed her while he was a probationary officer. Tyler testified that the matter was investigated by the New York State Police, that he cooperated fully, that the complainant did not pursue charges, that he spoke with the District Attorney directly, and that the case was dismissed. He confirmed he was never arrested.
The District Attorney got involved - then the charges disappeared, and the victim fled from the area and moved elsewhere.
In the same testimony, Tyler denied knowing the affiant, said her name did not "ring a bell," and denied a separate question about having been at a bar after hours with an underage female. Asked whether anyone else had ever made a r**e allegation against him, Tyler answered no.
SCS Group notes that the affiant's sworn statement and Tyler's sworn denial that he knows her cannot both be accurate. That conflict is at the heart of the documents and is the subject of SCS Group’s Investigative Team’s review.
The public record on Tyler
Tyler joined the Ithaca Police Department in 1991 and rose through the ranks to sergeant, lieutenant and deputy chief. He served as acting chief after Chief John Barber's retirement and was permanently appointed Chief of Police on December 20, 2017, becoming the city's first Black police chief. He retired on May 31, 2019, after nearly 28 years. He has long been a volunteer firefighter and EMT with the Dryden Fire Department, and after retiring took on law-enforcement training work.
He continues to put himself in positions of public trust and authority - positions giving him access and trust to potential victims.
At the time of his 2017 appointment, Mayor Svante Myrick confirmed publicly that Tyler had not passed the required civil service exam for Chief of Police on his first attempt but remained eligible for appointment under New York's "rule of three" and was required to retake and pass the exam within a year.
What remains unanswered
The record reviewed by SCS Group raises questions it does not, on its own, answer: what the City of Ithaca and the Police Department knew about either allegation, and when; how the State Police investigation was opened and closed; and how these matters, if at all, factored into Tyler's promotions through the department and ultimately to Chief.
If you have more information, court documents or private information in regards to the r**e culture and s*x trafficking operation that has been going on within Tompkins County and the City of Ithaca - for decades - send any relevant information to [email protected]
SCS Group
