Common Council committee grills mayor’s nominee Erica Shields over past protests, training and accountability

Erica Shields, the mayor’s nominee for police commissioner, defended her 25-year law-enforcement career and described plans for training, community outreach and a focus on solvability during a sometimes tense confirmation hearing before the Buffalo Common Council Committee on Civil Service on April 21, 2026.

The hearing opened with routine roll call and procedural motions before members debated item 3 on the agenda: Shields’ appointment. Shields, who said she was nominated by the mayor, summarized her career in Atlanta and Louisville and acknowledged protests and high-profile use-of-force incidents that occurred while she was a senior agency leader. “I went into the crowds with the protesters,” Shields told the committee, describing efforts to hear community concerns and manage demonstrations while emphasizing that the department must hold people accountable and improve training.

Why the nomination matters: Council members framed the hearing as both an evaluation of Shields’ technical qualifications and a test of whether she could rebuild trust across Buffalo’s diverse neighborhoods. One council member said they had conducted independent outreach to people in cities where Shields had worked and that those conversations left them uncomfortable; the member concluded they would vote against the appointment and said they would not be “intimidated” by outside pressure.

Shields’ record and resignation in Atlanta: Shields told the committee that she stepped down from her Atlanta post amid a contentious period that included the nationwide unrest after the George Floyd video and the later killing of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta. She characterized her departure as a decision prompted by irreconcilable differences with the mayor’s office and said she believed much of the criticism came from the heightened, often negative media environment. “I made a decision to step down,” Shields said, adding that she stood by the body of work she brought to the city.

Use-of-force and a 72‑hour response: Members probed Shields for a concrete, step-by-step 72-hour plan for managing a high‑profile use-of-force incident. Shields said there is no single playbook but emphasized three priorities: accurate, timely communication with the public and the department; ensuring accountability; and intensive after-action review and training. She described reviewing video and training gaps as a route to preventing future tragedies.

Discipline, union limits and metrics: Council members asked how Shields would discipline officers and work within collective-bargaining limits. Shields acknowledged she had not tracked the percentage of officers removed during her tenures and said disciplinary practices must be applied consistently. On measuring success, she urged a holistic approach—crime statistics must be paired with clearance and conviction rates as well as community trust measures. “Crime rate down” alone, she said, is not synonymous with good policing.

Support and skepticism from council members: Several council members expressed support for Shields’ experience and training-focused approach, noting the scale of operations she handled in Atlanta and Louisville. At the same time, others said they had read reports and received calls raising concerns about her prior leadership in other cities. One lawmaker said Buffalo “should not be a test case” and that the committee must exercise caution in voting on a commissioner who will face political and community scrutiny.

Solvability and interagency work: Shields outlined tactics to improve violent‑crime solvability, including tracing illegal guns, working closely with the ATF, rapid testing of shell casings and, where necessary, contracting accredited private labs for DNA testing to avoid public‑lab backlogs. She emphasized sharing information across units to avoid compartmentalization and improve conviction rates rather than just clearance numbers.

Mental health and diversion strategies: On homelessness and mental-health response, Shields described pre-arrest diversion partnerships with nonprofits and hospitals that place caseworkers alongside officers so eligible individuals can be directed to services instead of arrest. She argued co‑response models and embedding outreach staff at scenes can be effective alternatives to incarceration when capacity exists.

Overtime, planning and community policing: Council members asked how Shields would reconcile detailed planning with efforts to limit costly overtime and how she would work with the police union. Shields said she would engage the union and administration collaboratively and examine overtime figures to prioritize training, hiring and technology investments that ultimately improve officer safety and reduce overtime pressure. She also voiced support for pedestrian and bike patrols where feasible to increase officer-community contact.

Committee action and next steps: After several hours of questioning and exchange, the committee moved to close discussion and to report the nomination “without recommendation.” Seconds were recorded for the motions in the transcript, but no roll-call confirmation vote was recorded during the committee proceeding captured in the record. The committee adjourned following procedural motions.

What remains unresolved: Council members raised concerns about specific criticisms of Shields’ prior tenures, including community distrust in some neighborhoods and the limits imposed by collective‑bargaining agreements; Shields answered with a focus on training, oversight and cooperation with prosecutors and federal partners. The committee’s decision to report the nomination without recommendation leaves the matter to the broader council for final consideration.

The committee hearing provided detailed public testimony and a range of views from council members; it closed without a final confirmation vote in the committee transcript, setting the stage for further deliberation by the full council.