BUFFALO, N.Y. — Mayor Byron Brown was joined by Buffalo Common Council Members Christopher P. Scanlon, Joseph Golombek, Jr., and Ulysees O. Wingo, Sr. as he announced new police reforms for the city.
The three new reforms will extend the length of fix-it tickets to 14 days, repeal 15 vehicle fines, and will establish a permanent policy on mugshots.
The city will extend the length of time, for the second time this year, the amount of time people have to address vehicle issues when issued a fix-it tickets. Now, fix it tickets will be extended to 14 days, which is the typical pay period for the average person.
The city will also repeal 15 vehicle fines that were originally enacted in 2018. Mayor Brown said that measures that have been enacted since the fines make these fines no longer necessary.
Additionally, the mayor said that the additional fines were not significant enough to some people to have an impact on their driving, but for others it caused a significant financial burden.
The final reform announced today was a new permanent policy for the Buffalo Police Department. The policy will ensure that booking photos and mugshots will not be released unless there is a pressing public safety concern.
The police department has been doing this since a change in state law began allowing departments to make decisions on if they will release photos, but now it will be the permanent policy of the Buffalo Police.
