Cariol Horne

At a public hearing Wednesday afternoon, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown heard from concerned community members regarding Cariol’s Law, named after former Police Officer Cariol Horne. 

Last night, Free the People, Western New York held a meeting in the Belle Center to talk about policing and police. Under an order from Governor Cuomo, Buffalo must appoint a task force to study the Police Department and decide on what changes have to be made to update the agency and see how it handles racial issues.

Buffalo is one legal step away from having a law requiring police officers to intervene if another officer starts using too much force against someone being arrested. This "duty to intervene" is detailed in Cariol's Law.

Supporters of a Buffalo police reform law named for an ousted officer are calling on lawmakers to state publicly whether they'll support it. Those backing the proposal known as Cariol's Law demand lawmakers keep her name on the bill if and when they may pass it.

By Friday, the Common Council should have the first draft of a major change in policing in Buffalo. It's likely to be called Cariol's Law, for former BPD Officer Cariol Horne, who maintains she was fired from the department for trying to stop another officer from attacking someone he was arresting. The proposed new law would require police to intervene.

While much of the national conversation about police reform has focused on race, gender also affects policing. Combine race and gender and you will find that women -- particularly Black women -- are being stopped by police much more often than two decades ago, and those stops are becoming much more troubling.

A former Buffalo Police officer and her supporters rallied in Lafayette Square Friday afternoon, where it was announced she has obtained a legal team in a bid to restore her eligibility for a full pension. She lost her job with the police department in 2007, for what supporters insist was doing the right thing.

The Buffalo Common Council is pushing for change in the city's police department, some longstanding issues and some growing out of the current string of protests across the world about police violence.