While police reform has been in the spotlight with protests and events last summer, now there's some pushback again from the Buffalo police union, which is pointing to the increase in violent crime this past year and past month.
In December, 2 On Your Side shared statistics showing Buffalo's violent crime surging in 2020. The number of shootings and victims nearly doubled.
Now it appears that troubling trend is carrying over and growing into 2021. The Buffalo Police Benevolent Association is reporting the number of shooting victims tripled and homicides went up by 30 percent when comparing January of 2021 to January of 2020.
In part, union President John Evans points again to New York state's bail reform laws which took effect in 2020.
"Due to bail reform there's no longer any consequence," he said. "There's no longer even a night in jail when you're caught with an illegal firearm. Society without consequences, it's going to be a lawless society, and I think that's what we're encountering right now."
The police union says concerns about a perceived recent upsurge in crime in the Elmwood Village area really makes their point. That includes a seemingly random stabbing incident and carjacking.
Buffalo Police Captain Jeff Rinaldo recently told 2 on Your Side's Town Hall that increasing crime is not solely a Buffalo problem. And Rinaldo says while it may be a partial factor, bail reform didn't happen nationwide.
"What we saw here in Buffalo is very consistent with what happened around the country," he said.
But the union also questions the police stop receipt issue for encounters with the public. Evans points out, "It's just making it cumbersome and you can no longer pull a vehicle over, and you know check it out so to speak, you know, with probable cause, of course. But you can't do that as a practice or on a continuing basis."
Rinaldo says the stop receipt program helps with transparency and public trust to understand reasons for police interaction. And overall he says COVID may be a larger factor
"Absolutely brought a complete stop to our community outreach or community programs that we engage in," he said.
There was also the cry of "Defund the Police" during protests here and around the country last summer. 2 On Your Side asked Police Advisory Board Member De'Jon Hall and Evans for their perspectives now.
Hall says, "Instead of this failed deterrent mindset that legal recourse and more punitive action deters crime, which is where he's coming from, what we actually need to do is defund and divest from that mindset and fund community services that give people hope and other opportunities like jobs."
Hall also raised points about increased spending for police in recent city budgets and what he says are still lower clearance rates for solving homicides.
Evans counters that there are now 730 sworn officers now in the BPD, down from a high of some 980 at one point, and that a new graduating class with new officers probably won't be seeing the streets until October of 2022.
He says "I believe the administration realizes that we are as low on manpower as we could possibly go. Draconian cuts certainly, public safety would absolutely suffer. Would really definitely feel for the citizens of this city if we would be cut further."