Buffalo, NY – Mayor Byron W. Brown today announced that the Buffalo Police Department (BPD) was awarded full accreditation from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services Accreditation Council, making the BPD the largest City accredited law enforcement agency in New York State. Police Commissioner Byron C. Lockwood, Deputy Police Commissioners Joe Gramaglia and Barbara Lark, and other members of the BPD Management Team traveled to Albany earlier today where they were presented with the good news.
“Today, the Buffalo Police Department stands proud as the largest City accredited law enforcement agency in New York State,” said Mayor Brown. “This significant professional achievement is a statement of acknowledgement that the Buffalo Police Department has done the hard work and implemented the policies and practices established by the Council in the areas of administration, training and operations. We hope this milestone gives residents and visitors a renewed sense of confidence in that the BPD is now in compliance with the ‘gold standard of law enforcement’ in New York State. Achieving accreditation
is another positive step forward, and builds on our continuing efforts to revolutionize community-based policing that will foster an even stronger guardian mindset of our police.”
As part of the accreditation process, Buffalo highlighted recent efforts and initiatives that have made a difference, including:
- Moving the Buffalo Police and Fire Department into their joint headquarters at the historic Michael J. Dillon Federal Courthouse, providing more efficient services
- Continuing to enhance community policing initiatives, including the BPD Neighborhood Engagement Team and a new Mental and Behavioral Health Unit
- A continued commitment to change the makeup of the Buffalo Police Department by requiring new hires to live in the City of Buffalo
- The coming of the full implementation of the BPD Body cam program, the process for arming officers for Tasers
- New investment this year for replacing vehicles in the police fleet
Commissioner Lockwood stated, “Achieving full accreditation was one of the first tasks Mayor Brown assigned me, when he named me Police Commissioner in 2018. We knew it would take a lot of hard and time-consuming work, but with the support of my leadership team and a full commitment from all, I’m pleased to say we accomplished our goal.”
Today Buffalo joins other partnering agencies located in cities across the state that are currently accredited. With the accreditation achievement, BPD can further enhance efforts to:
- Promote increased cooperation and coordination among law enforcement agencies
- Ensure the appropriate training of Buffalo Police officers and
- Further promote public confidence in the Buffalo Police Department For more information, go to www.buffalony.gov.