July 1 - In a continued effort to make destinations even safer this summer, Mayor Byron W. Brown and Council President Darius Pridgen, joined by Police Commissioner Daniel Derenda, DPW Commissioner Steve Stepniak, Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation (ECHDC) President Thomas Dee, Canalside General Manager Matt LaSota, and President of Rich Baseball Operations and Be Our Guest Ltd. Jonathan A. Dandes, officially opened a new temporary police substation at Canalside. The police substation is located at the corner of Marine Drive and Hanover.
“Making sure our city residents and visitors have an enjoyable experience in Buffalo is a top priority of my administration and the new temporary Canalside police substation will help further enhance safety and security at one of our City’s most popular new destinations,” said Mayor Brown.
Mayor Brown initially made the announcement about the coming Canalside substation at his State of the City address in February 2017. Since then, Buffalo police in conjunction with ECHDC, Canalside and others have been working on an enhanced plan, which will help further strengthen security, increase the police presence at Canalside and further reduce the number of potential incidents that might occur there.
In recent years, a number of safety measures have been added at Canalside to increase public safety. To date:
• Additional Buffalo Police Officers will be stationed at the new Canalside substation to assist Canalside’s private security team in enforcement of rules
• Increased presence of Buffalo Peacemakers, an organization that provides guidance and mentoring to at-risk youth
• Increased lighting to illuminate dark areas
• Better control at site perimeters (e.g., double fencing)
• Enhanced security screening
As Mayor Brown also announced at his annual State of the City address in February, $500,000 has been allocated for a new police substation at the Broadway Market. The project is currently in a design phase, with an anticipated completion date in early 2018.