BUFFALO, N.Y. — "Take the test," the words of Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown.
The Buffalo police officer entry exam is Saturday, June 17, 2023.
The deadline to apply is Monday, May 22, 2023.
Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said "It's time to look for that next-generation police officer. We are looking for anyone that has thought about becoming a police officer and even if you haven't thought about it, we ask you to come forward and just take the test. Take the test, leave your options open come forward." He called it a rewarding career, "this department is deeply rooted in community policing, community involvement, community engagement, and that's the way that we are driving our crime numbers down."
The mayor acknowledged it is a difficult time for policing.
The department is looking to improve its diversity.
"It's important for us to recruit a Police Department that looks like the city of Buffalo. So yes, there is a push to recruit women, to recruit minorities, to recruit new Americans," Mayor Brown said at a press conference at the C-District police house on East Ferry Street.
The city has over 400 applicants ready to take the exam. Mayor Brown said that it "already exceeds the full recruitment of some other cities in the state of New York." He noted it is extremely competitive to attract people to be police officers.
"We are going to be doing a comprehensive social media push, geolocating, pushing out to different areas so that we can get the word out. We'll send out our QR code," the commissioner said this can allow a person to get the application instantly on a phone to sign up and register.