BUFFALO, N.Y. — A former Buffalo Police officer who was wrongfully fired from her job will now be able to apply for her retirement benefits.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation Thursday which will grant Cariol Horne service credits from the date of her termination, which is now set at August 5, 2010. Horne can now receive her full retirement benefits.
Horne was fired on an arbitrator's recommendation after an incident in 2006 where she says she stepped in to stop a fellow officer putting a man in a chokehold.
It wasn’t until 2021 when New York State Supreme Court Judge Dennis Ward vacated her firing, saying, "To her credit, Officer Horne did not merely stand by, but instead sought to intervene, despite the penalty she ultimately paid for doing so."
"New York owes Cariol Horne a debt of gratitude for her service to the Buffalo community and for her bravery in a moment of crisis," Governor Hochul said in a statement on Thursday. "I am proud to sign this law, which will correct a longstanding injustice and ensure that Officer Horne is treated with the dignity and respect she deserves."
The City of Buffalo was previously ordered to give Horne back pay and pension contributions going back to 2010.
Senator Timothy Kennedy said, "Thank you to Cariol Horne for her unwavering service to our community and her refusal to stand by and watch injustice occur, no matter the cost. After years of being penalized for doing the right thing, I was proud to sponsor this legislation to provide her with the retirement pension she earned and deserves. Thank you to my colleague Majority Leader Peoples-Stokes for ensuring this bill passed the Assembly and Governor Hochul for signing it into law."
"Cariol Horne, A former Buffalo police officer, showed profiles in courage when in a decisive moment, she chose to act to intervene against another officer in an unreasonable use of force towards a civilian. Her act of bravery cost Officer Horne her career. Fortunately, justice has prevailed. This legislation that I successfully sponsored and passed in the NYS Assembly will help bring a positive ending to this situation and provide Ms. Horne with all the retirement benefits she is rightfully deserving of receiving. I would like to applaud Governor Kathy Hochul and my cosponsor NYS Senator Tim Kennedy for their leadership in helping to correct this injustice that garnered national attention amid a period of social unrest, " said Assemblymember Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes.
The Buffalo Common Council passed legislation called Cariol’s Law. It was signed by Mayor Byron Brown as the Duty to Intervene Law. It means an officer has a responsibility to intervene if a fellow officer is acting inappropriately.
It's a policy that's been in the police manual since 2019.
The new state legislation goes into effect immediately, allowing Horne to apply for state and local police retirement benefits.