Categories for News

Mar 27

2020

Sheriff Howard OK with release of prisoners

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 Updated: 6:02 p.m. While he has no authority to release people held in his jails, Erie County Sheriff Tim Howard said he has no objection to others using their powers to do so. “As sheriff, it is not in my authority to grant the early release or to remove the bail requirements that have been set by the court,” Howard said in a video statement released Friday. “But I will not oppose any measures or directives of the judiciary or other agencies to release any inmates.” In his video statement, Howard said he has encouraged the state Board of[...]

Posted 4 years ago

Mar 25

2020

COVID-19 adds to plight of the homeless

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These are especially difficult days — and nights — for the homeless of Western New York. They share the same fears about COVID-19 as do those comfortably cloistered in their houses and apartments. But they also have fewer options as to where to bed for the night, as some shelters have closed and others have reduced their capacity to comply with state edicts intended to limit crowds and contact between people. The homeless also often lack ready access to other basics, such as medical care. “Being homeless right now, anywhere, is a pretty tough thing,” Jean Bennett, director of Housing[...]

Posted 4 years ago

Mar 25

2020

Lawyers protest dangers at detention center

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 Lawyers defending immigrants in deportation hearings and other legal proceedings in Batavia refused to appear in court Tuesday, saying federal authorities have failed to protect all parties involved from exposure to COVID-19. Attorneys from the Volunteer Lawyers Project and Prisoners Legal Services of New York also  said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, has effectively stopped them from representing their clients in court by requiring face masks and other protective equipment that they can’t obtain because of shortages and that ICE won’t provide. The federal immigration court has continued to operate despite a plea last Friday from State[...]

Posted 4 years ago

Mar 24

2020

Safety concerns for ill-equipped Buffalo cops

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Two Buffalo police officers have tested positive for COVID-19, about 10 others are isolating themselves, and yet more are working without protective gear such as face masks to reduce the chances they’ll become infected with the virus, says John Evans, president of the Buffalo Police Benevolent Association.  The shortage of working police cars, paired with the department’s coronavirus sick time policy, is putting more officers at risk, he said. Evans and his union are presently the prime source of information on the health of city police officers because the Brown administration is not releasing details, unlike other law enforcement agencies[...]

Posted 4 years ago

Mar 24

2020

Push on to release some county prisoners

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Updated: 6:30 p.m. Nearly 600 men and women are incarcerated in close quarters in Erie County’s two jails, at risk of catching the deadly COVID-19 virus. More than half are being held on bail, yet to be found guilty of a crime. Others are jailed on parole violations or serving sentences of up to one year. What’s it going to take to get at least some of them released? County officials, both County Executive Mark Poloncarz and a spokesman for Sheriff Tim Howard, said Monday they lack the authority to release anyone. “We can’t just let someone out,” said Scott[...]

Posted 4 years ago

Mar 22

2020

COVID-19: Arrests plummet in Buffalo

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Updated: 2:36 p.m. Crime is way down in the City Of Buffalo since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared. The number of daily arrests before the pandemic typically exceeded 20 a day, including a recent high of 37 on March 6. Arrests since Thursday have ranged from two to eight a day. Police say there’s one primary reason for the drop: businesses, which can be a magnet for criminal activity, have mostly closed.  “A lot of commerce has stopped,” said Captain Jeff Rinaldo. “A lot of crime occurs around commerce. If you don’t have commerce, you don’t have crime.” Gov. Andrew[...]

Posted 4 years ago

Mar 19

2020

Hospitals curtail non-emergency surgeries

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All major hospitals in the Buffalo area have canceled elective surgeries to conserve dwindling supplies of blood and protective gear, such as face masks, that are needed to treat victims of the COVID-19 pandemic. Surgeons at Catholic Health and the Erie County Medical Center began canceling elective surgeries earlier in the week. Kaleida Health followed suit with a decision Thursday to cancel non-emergency surgeries effective today. Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center announced it would take the same measure, effective Friday evening. The embargo on all non-essential procedures comes as hospitals seek to limit staff and patient exposure to coronavirus and[...]

Posted 4 years ago

Mar 18

2020

3 county inmates being observed for COVID-19

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Three inmates being held in Erie County jails have been isolated and placed under observation after exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19. The three people self-reported signs of upper respiratory infections during the intake process, the Sheriff’s Office medical director said in a video message released to the media Wednesday afternoon.  These inmates are being housed separately from the general jail population. The Sheriff’s Office did not specify they’re in the Erie County Holding Center in downtown Buffalo or the Correctional Facility in Alden.   The sheriff’s medical team contacted the Erie County Department of Health regarding one of the inmates. The Department[...]

Posted 4 years ago
Investigative Post

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