Buffalo Police Department

ENFORCEMENT OF LOW-LEVEL OFFENSES

In the five-year period between 2011 and 2015, the Buffalo Police department took 14,503 enforcement actions for 2nd Degree Harassment, 7,283 for Unlawful Possession of Marijuana, and 4,935 for Disorderly Conduct. Black residents account for 37% of Buffalo’s residents, compared with 63% of enforcement actions for the three offenses. Of enforcement actions for possession of marijuana, 75% were against black residents.

Police department policies need to embrace clear commitments to the prevention and elimination of bias. Departments must have policies that prohibit differential treatment by officers motivated by factors like a person’s actual or perceived race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, citizenship status, age, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, disability, or housing status. And once these policies are in place, department leaders need to hold officers who engage in bias-based practices accountable.

View Documents:
Department Personnel Demographics
Equal Employment Opportunity Policies

Additional Department Policies and Data:

• Equitable Policing
• Police Misconduct
• Stops, Field Interviews, Search and Seizure
• Surveillance Technology
• Use of Force

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