buffalo police

Three local law enforcement officers are recovering from injuries suffered when an SUV ran them down on Bailey Avenue late Monday as they stood on a roadblock during a tense protest.

Following Saturday's protest at Niagara Square and the ensuing vandalism, officials in a variety of government capacities blamed the unrest on the presence of "outside agitators," non-locals whose sole intent was to create tension and violence. The dialogue prompted Jim Heaney to pen a column at Investigative Post which took exception with the claims. Heaney believes the term was used to steer the community conversation away from how local government has failed to combat the city's structural racism.

Saturday's protest in Niagara Square may have been prompted by the Minneapolis death of George Floyd, but one observer believes the message should be absorbed by local officials. "The children took the street," was how Marielle Smith of Black Love Resists in the Rust characterized the evening's events. That energy, Smith contends, is focused on bringing change to the Buffalo police department.

Downtown Buffalo's protest Saturday night, like those in so many other cities across the nation and the world, was sparked by last week's death of George Floyd, who was suffocated by a Minneapolis police officer. Rev. Mark Blue, President of the Buffalo branch of the NAACP, says the protests show the need for  change in how police perform their duties. 

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz briefed reporters late Sunday night on what had transpired in the prior 36 hours of violence, vandalism and looting spun off from a protest about the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police, while Erie County District Attorney John Flynn promised justice in prosecutions.

Buffalo has 15 new police cars on the street, although you might not notice them in their plain clothes.

The tangled relationship between Buffalo Police and residents of the city's East Side was on display Tuesday evening at the Delavan-Grider Community Center.

Two years of investigation and nearly a dozen search warrants in Buffalo and adjacent communities have led to a major drug bust and four arrests, including former University at Buffalo basketball star Rodney Pierce.

Buffalo Common Council members delayed voting on buying or leasing new police cars Tuesday so they can get more information on the advantages and disadvantages of both.

This winter's unseasonably warm weather may be creating an unusual problem: more crime on the streets because weather isn't keeping bad actors indoors.

Should body camera footage of an officer-involved shooting be released to the public by the Buffalo Police Department? It's a question that doesn't have a black and white answer among Common Council members.

Buffalo Police need new cars, a lot of new cars. That is from Police Benevolent Association President John Evans, who has been complaining for a while that the city has to buy more patrol cars and make sure they are properly maintained. He says the city isn't doing either.