Incidents

James McAndrew, 35, was accused of pushing his way into a Weyand Avenue apartment, engaging in a "physical altercation" with a man and shoving a woman, according to court documents.

McAndrew was accused of grabbing a 32-year-old man – against whom accusations of domestic violence were made, but who has not been charged – and shoving him into the side of a staircase, damaging the railings. McAndrew allegedly pushed a woman who tried to get between him and the other man, according to court documents.

He was charged with two misdemeanors – fourth-degree criminal mischief and second-degree trespassing – as well as second-degree harassment, a violation.

He has been suspended by the department without pay, Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said in an email.

The incident happened shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday.

McAndrew was arrested Monday morning and arraigned in Buffalo City Court. He pleaded not guilty and was released on his own recognizance, according to court records. Brian Parker, McAndrew's attorney, declined to comment.

A Buffalo police captain told officers she supervised that Black cops were more likely to cheat on their wives than white cops.

The captain said she’d be suspicious if she saw a Black man in her neighborhood.

She claimed white police officers suffered post-traumatic stress disorder from working in Black neighborhoods, but Black officers did not, because they were more accustomed to violent crime.

The captain told Black officers they should try to understand how the criminality of Black people justified some racism.

These claims are detailed in a lawsuit filed Monday evening in federal court by two Buffalo police officers and a civilian mental health clinician. The target of the lawsuit is Captain Amber Beyer, who oversees the department’s Behavioral Health Team, a unit created two years ago to respond to people suffering mental health crises. The City of Buffalo and the Buffalo Police Department are also named as defendants.

The complainants are Officer Brandon Hawkins, a 15-year veteran of the department; Officer Katelynn Bolden, a six-year veteran; and mental health clinician Erica Seymour, who was employed by an agency contracted by the department to provide mental health services.

According to the lawsuit, Beyer offered these opinions on May 2 in the Behavioral Health Team’s office in police headquarters on Court Street.

That day, a member of the team, Officer Jason Wagstaff, showed Beyer “a viral video … of an incident in which two white police officers in a different jurisdiction racially profiled and pulled over a Black officer (who was wearing his uniform).”

After watching the video, Beyer said she saw “both sides” of the incident, according to the lawsuit.

Officers Bolden and Wagstaff pushed back, saying the video demonstrated the white officers’ “racist intent.”

Beyer responded with a 20-minute “rant,” according to the lawsuit, in which she made the claims about Black criminality and marital infidelity.

After asserting that Black men cheat on their wives more often than White men, she asked for affirmation from a white mental health clinician, according to the lawsuit. The clinician did not respond.

Beyer added that all the Black officers she knew were unfaithful and their infidelity “was a running joke” in the department.

She said it was understandable that a white person who had been robbed by a Black person would have racist views.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the room. Eventually Beyer walked out.

“That was awkward,” Wagstaff said, according to the complaint.

30-year-old Dominique Thomas experienced a mental health crisis and was shot by two Buffalo police officers multiple times outside his apartment building on Hertel Avenue.

According to the Sun, Harris was involved in the asphyxiation of victim, a black man who died after Rochester authorities placed a hood over his head and pressed his face into the ground.

Bradstreet was involved in the pepper spraying and use of extreme force of a nine-year old child who was in the midst of a mental health crisis. The episode was filmed by multiple body cameras and brought nationwide attention to the troubling abuse. Four officers were involved.

Outcome

All four officers have been suspended or placed on administrative leave. Bradstreet, with the department 4.5 years, is currently on administrative leave. RPD Chief Cynthia Herriot-Sullivan and the Locust Club have defended the actions as 'necessary.'

According to D&C, Lombard pepper sprayed 9 year old girl while in custody in the back of a police car

Outcome

Suspended with pay

The Democrat & Chronicle said Lombard sprayed a chemical irritant in the face of a 9-year-old Black girl as she was handcuffed in the back of a police car.

Outcome

Suspension with pay

RPD arrested Abdul Hadi in a "traffic stop" to prevent him from reaching his home after his wife, Aqueelah El Bey called him for help as CPS violated their rights by calling RPD to raid their home to remove their children from the home for "Educational Neglect."

BWC footage: https://youtu.be/9hrV8eeztzg

Officer Wassinger deliberately turns off his body worn camera at the 47:54 mark. The time stamp jumps from 13:12:42 to 13:13:00. This arrest is done in conjunction with Officer Dylan Minnick (Badge #2024) who also deliberately turned off his body-worn camera twice during this arrest. See Officer Minnick's record for more details.

RPD arrested Abdul Hadi during a traffic stop as a means to prevent him from reaching his house when his wife, Aqueelah El Bey, called him for help when CPS misused police to do a raid on their home to remove their children for "Educational Neglect."

Body-worn camera footage located at: https://youtu.be/9hrV8eeztzg

Officer Dylan Minnick deliberately turned off his body-worn camera at two instances during this arrest interaction. In the BWC footage, Minnick turns his camera off at the:
a) 12:41 minute marker, the time stamp jumps from 13:12:42 to 13:16:45.
b) 13:58 minute marker, the time stamp jumps from 13:18:02 to13:20:41.

Officer Todd Wassinger was also involved in this arrest and he also deliberately turned off body-worn camera at one instance.

Disturbance at Statehouse. Montpelier Police allegedly did not assist a child that was being assaulted by Trump Supporters. State's Attorney will not file charges and recommends the case be resolved through a restorative justice program.

Buffalo Police Officers John Davidson and Andrew Moffett were suspended for making false statements following a drug arrest. The statements formed the basis for the false arrest of Morgan Eaton on charges of possession of 30 grams of cocaine with intent to distribute. The alleged cocaine was his fiance's medicine. All field and laboratory tests on the pills proved that the pills were not cocaine.

Willie Henley was shot in the abdomen by Buffalo police. "Put your bat down," calls out one officer with a gun trained on the man. "Nobody wants to hurt you." Henley, who continues to try to walk away from the group of more than half a dozen officers, some of whom have weapons drawn, responds, "I didn’t call y'all! I wasn’t doing nothing. I was by myself." Henley was known for carrying his baseball bat wherever he went, slept with it on street corners at night, and lined up for meals every day with it at the Buffalo City Mission. Those who regularly interacted with him described him as "very quiet, very peaceful."

According to a document filed in a lawsuit, Officer Amber Grosch was assaulting a protestor at a protest. The document says the incident was recorded by an individual who was soon after tackled to the ground by other RPD officers.

An off-duty police officer, Richard Hy, hit and subded a black man having a mental health crisis until other police arrived. No charges were filed and Hy was not suspended.

Buffalo police order Black woman not to walk on same side of the street as white men

Bradstreet lost control of his vehicle as he rushed to a dispatched call of a stabbing, crashing into a street sign and damaging the car. There is no indication of injury. There are four items in the city database connected to this incident

CW: Lieutenant Michael DeLong, was suspended after being videotaped directing a vile, misogynist insult at a woman outside a convenience store. DeLong called the woman a “disrespectful little fucking cunt” when she questioned how police were handling a man in distress outside the store who has a history of drug and mental health issues. The woman taking the video was upset about the size of the police response to the scene. DeLong was suspended the day after the June 28 incident for 30 days without pay for his insult, then, under state law, was returned to the payroll while remaining under suspension. He was paid about $63,000 while awaiting an arbitration hearing in which the city was expected to ask that DeLong be further disciplined or fired.

CW: While at a Black Lives Matter protest, 75-year old peace activist Martin Gugino approached a line of riot police stopping in front of the them to talk, one officer yelled “push him back”; one officer pushed his arm into Mr. Gugino’s chest, while another extended his baton toward him with both hands. Mr. Gugino feel backward, with blood immediately leaking from his right ear. An officer leaned down to examine him, but another officer then pulled the first officer away. Several other officers walked by Gugino, motionless on the ground, without checking on him. The District Attorney's office of John Flynn charged the two officers that pushed Gugino with felony assault. However, a grand jury chose not to indict.

In July, an off-duty Drinkwine entered the home of his ex-girlfriend, who called the police, telling them Drinkwine was not allowed in her home.

Myles Carter, a young Black man, was tackled from behind by Buffalo police and arrested while he was being interviewed by the news media on Bailey Avenue during a protest. The trumped up charges that followed included second-degree obstruction of governmental administration, a misdemeanor, and disorderly conduct, a violation. The charges were later dropped.