Tag: Erie County Sheriff

Apr 9

2024

County inmate dies from water intoxication

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Jennifer Hager holds a photo of her brother, William Hager, as a child. Photo by Garrett Looker. William Hager drank himself to death in the Erie County Correctional Facility in Alden. With water. He was a homeless schizophrenic accused of breaking into a store and had been locked up for four months, according to his family. Relatives say jailers should have kept closer watch. “They knew he had mental health concerns, and nobody was monitoring him,” said Jennifer Hager, an older sister. “Drinking enough water to poison himself – nobody noticed that?” Two state oversight bodies are responsible for determining[...]

Posted 1 year ago

Mar 5

2024

Lawsuit accuses Erie County Sheriff of stonewalling

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Erie County Sheriff John C. Garcia. Photo by Garrett Looker. The Erie County Sheriff’s Office is being sued for jail records. Again. The Partnership for the Public Good, which asked for records last May, filed suit in December after its request for documents for the downtown holding center and Alden lockup was refused. It’s the third time since 2018 that the sheriff’s office has been sued over jail records. In the two previous cases, courts ordered the sheriff’s office to provide requested documents.  “They don’t give up stuff they should give up,” said Nan Haynes, who sued the sheriff in[...]

Posted 1 year ago

Sep 20

2023

Erie County sheriff wants $10 million helicopter

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Erie County Sheriff John Garcia wants to double his department’s helicopter fleet with a new chopper that would cost more than $10 million. “It’s a matter of safety,” Undersheriff William Cooley told Investigative Post in justifying a new Airbus H135 helicopter that would take two years to build and outfit. “We see an absolute need for a new machine.” The sheriff’s office boasts that its current helicopter helps nab suspected car thieves and controls traffic at Buffalo Bills games.  The department says that its 22-year-old chopper, often grounded for maintenance and repairs, has saved lives. The department once considered replacing[...]

Posted 2 years ago
Investigative Post