BUFFALO, N.Y. — A new policy has been set by the Buffalo Police in hopes that it will help keep officers privacy.
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown told 2 On Your Side's Jeff Preval that it is now policy for Buffalo Police officers to wear a badge number instead of a name.
The mayor says that change was made last week and that it was made in order to cut down on attempts by members of the public to inappropriately contact officers.
Earlier this month, we reported that Buffalo Police officers are being told by their superiors, to stop covering their name tags after several officers have been observed at recent demonstrations with tape over theirs.
The head of the police union, John Evans, who declined an on-camera interview, confirmed that some officers have been covering their name tags and acknowledged that it is a violation of their existing uniform policy.
He says some officers nonetheless took the step after at least one Buffalo officer had his home and family threatened by someone who used their name to find out where they lived and "doxed" them online and over social media.