Tag: City Hall

Sep 25

2017

Buffalo police sued in fatal shooting

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The family of Jose Hernandez-Rossy, the man who was fatally shot by police in May, has filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit against the City of Buffalo and the police department. The lawsuit alleges that Housing Unit officers Justin Tedesco and Joseph Acquino conducted an illegal stop and search of Hernandez-Rossy and used unjustified deadly force against him. According to the complaint, Hernandez-Rossy was unarmed and dragged from his car and beaten by the two officers prior to the shooting. On Wednesday Investigative Post reported on cases involving a group of officers from Strike Force and the Housing Unit, including[...]

Posted 7 years ago

Sep 25

2017

Heaney discusses Buffalo police on ‘Pressroom

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Jim Heaney tells Susan Arbetter that “Buffalo has a policing problem” on Monday’s edition of The Capitol Pressroom. Arbetter interviewed him about an Investigative Post story from last week that documented unconstitutional searches and other misconduct on the part of the department’s Strike Force and Housing Unit.  

Posted 7 years ago

Sep 13

2017

Assessing Buffalo’s mayoral primary

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A win is a win, and Byron Brown certainly did that Tuesday, capturing a little more than half the vote in a three-way Democratic primary for mayor. The victory sets Brown up for a fourth term, equalling the tenure of Jimmy Griffin. That’s about where the good news ends for the mayor. The numbers are not otherwise kind. Let’s start with his 13,346 votes – the lowest of his four primary runs and little more than half of his total eight years ago. (Mickey Kearns garnered more votes eight years ago in losing to Brown in a landslide. Think about it.)[...]

Posted 7 years ago

Sep 5

2017

Lawsuit alleges Buffalo police misconduct

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A coalition of community activists and attorneys filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Buffalo on Tuesday and sent a letter to State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman urging his civil rights division to investigative what they allege is a pattern of unconstitutional practices by the Buffalo Police Department against minority residents. Anjana Malhotra, co-author of the report and complaint, said her research uncovered a “pattern and practice of discriminatory and unconstitutional police practices.” “The fourth amendment guarantees to everyone equally that one has a right to be free of unreasonable seizures,” she said at a press conference Tuesday[...]

Posted 7 years ago

Jul 6

2017

City Hall slow to enforce lead measures

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Buffalo continues to have a lead poisoning crisis – hundreds of children were diagnosed with dangerous lead levels again last year – but you wouldn’t know it by City Hall’s slow rollout of its plan to deal with the problem. Mayor Byron Brown announced his plan in May 2016 and the Common Council passed companion legislation in October. But an Investigative Post analysis shows there’s been little progress in executing the initiative. Consider: Not a single landlord has submitted a required compliance letter with the city to confirm that they and their tenant are aware that lead paint is presumed[...]

Posted 7 years ago

May 23

2017

Heaney discusses homicides on WGRZ

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Jim Heaney tells Kelly Dudzik of WGRZ that Buffalo police have a poor track record of clearing homicides – generally solving a quarter to a third of murders in recent years. Departments nationally clear about 60 percent of homicides. Heaney’s comments were made in the context of plans announced by Common Council President Darius Pridgen to launch a newsletter that will feature murder victims. Pridgen, pastor of True Bethel Baptist Church, hopes the newsletter and a digital companion will help in some way to solve murders. Heaney and Steve Brown of WGRZ did stories in March of this year and[...]

Posted 7 years ago

May 16

2017

Police rifle purchase triggers concerns

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Community activists, echoing community distrust of law enforcement, have been advocating for change in the Buffalo Police Department. Better training to avoid situations like police using a patrol car to strike a suspect. Answers about the recent deaths of Wardel Davis and Jose Hernandez-Rossy during encounters with police. And more oversight of a department that clears officers of wrongdoing almost every time they are accused of using excessive force against civilians. The change activists are seeing involves not reform but rifles. And they’re alarmed by it. Buffalo police are buying approximately 115 semi-automatic rifles and 450 protective vests through a[...]

Posted 7 years ago
Investigative Post

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