Council oversight hearing revisits AG findings and a 2024 crash under multiple reviews

Council members pressed Buffalo Police Department leaders on Oct. 8 about published findings from the New York State Attorney General’s law enforcement misconduct investigative office and about a 2024 crash that remains under criminal and administrative review.

Deputy First Deputy Commissioner O’Rourke described the state oversight mechanism set up by New York State Executive Law 75, saying that when “anytime a police officer receives 5 complaints from 5 different complainants over the course of a 24 month rolling period, it is incumbent upon the agency … to self report that officer to LEMIO.” He said the department provides video, audio and transcripts and that the agency is required to respond within 90 days to the AG’s recommendations.

Why it matters: The AG’s findings and the separate criminal case stemming from an April 2024 collision in Buffalo have prompted sustained public attention and multiple inquiries from the council. Committee members said delays and limited public detail have damaged community trust and asked what the city and department are doing to respond to the AG’s recommendations.

Council concerns and department response - Council member Rasheed Wyatt read media accounts and called the AG’s findings “stark,” and said the public expects accountability. O’Rourke and other department officials said the AG reviews are based on the statutory referral threshold and that the department is cooperating. - The department told the committee it has implemented at least some of the AG’s recommendations, for example by rolling out Fourth Amendment training and other policy updates.

On the April 2024 crash (the so‑called Granville matter), acting corporation counsel Robert Quinn told the committee the case remains under investigation and cautioned against discussing merits of pending litigation. Several council members said the crash defendant pleaded guilty in Niagra County to criminal charges tied to the incident, and that the plea underscored the public’s interest in a timely outcome for the parallel administrative reviews.

The committee repeatedly asked whether the city’s law department and the Niagara County District Attorney’s office communicate about the criminal investigation and the city’s internal inquiries. Quinn said generally the law department “does communicate with law enforcement at various levels,” but he declined to discuss specifics about ongoing investigative tactics.

Body‑worn camera and FOIL details The police commissioner’s office said the department changed video retention in January 2025: all body‑worn camera footage is now retained for at least 39 months. The department said priority incidents (shootings, arrests and internal‑affairs video) are retained indefinitely. The City’s FOIL unit has two dedicated staff and aims to respond to requests in about five business days on average, subject to exceptions for ongoing investigations.

Committee action: Members did not adopt new policy at the meeting but repeatedly pressed the administration to provide more information. For the AG‑findings item the committee voted to table pending responses from the department; for the crash inquiry the committee moved to table pending additional information and said it expected follow‑up from the city law department and police command staff.

Speakers quoted in this article are identified in the meeting minutes and included in the speaker list below.