Curtis Cunningham pled guilty to violating Rochester Police Department rules and regulations Section 3.2: Conducting Private Business or Association on Duty. Appears to have no victim.

Outcome

Suspension without pay for 10 working days

Officers Arron Wilcox and Thomas Luciano allegedly were discourteous and unprofessional during a traffic stop with the victim. After the victim called in a complaint against the officers, the officers allegedly responded to the victims residence and attempted to issue the victim a traffic ticket. The victim alleges the officers forcibly entered the entrance door of his apartment without cause and used unnecessary or excessive force during his arrest.

Outcome

Unknown due to incomplete City of Rochester Public Records. Investigative Summary P.S.S 10-1291 stated:
Allegation #1 Investigation of Courtesy Unprovable
Allegation 2 Investigation of Courtesy Exonerated
Allegation 3 Investigation of Procedure Sustained
Allegation 4 Investigation of Procedure Exonerated
Allegation 5 Investigation of Force Unfounded

Passenger while police cruiser hit and killed 14 y.o. boy

According to RPD Profession Standards Section charges, officer Lucero, while operating his marked fleet vehicle in the area of Bay Street near Portland Avenue, allegedly failed to maintain proper control of his vehicle when attempting to stop; the vehicle slid and struck another westbound vehicle. The actions caused damage to both vehicles. This is the third avoidable fleet vehicle accident in a 36-month period.

Outcome

Guilty plea for third avoidable fleet vehicle accident in a 36-month period. Letter of Reprimand

According to a United States District Court Decision and Order document that named Curtis Cunningham, Adam Harden, Migdalia Plaza, and Nelson Soto ad defendants, the following are facts alleged by the plaintiff. Two brothers were stopped at a motor vehicle checkpoint operated by the Rochester Police Department where police officers forced one brother out of the car, beat him, and handcuffed him. One officer then approached the other brother, held a bottle of pepper spray to his eye, and threatened to discharge it. After one brother was processed and then released, he was walking to his car, officers ran towards him, attacked him with pepper spray, handcuffed him, and placed him in a cell. Then a sheriff’s deputy pulled plaintiff’s hands through the bars of the cell and began beating them, telling plaintiff he would not stop until plaintiff cried out in pain.

Outcome

On July 1, 2014, the Court dismissed the Rochester Police Department and Monroe County as defendants. The Court agreed that, even accepting all of plaintiff’s allegations as true, he has nonetheless failed to produce evidence of a civil rights violation by any of the RPD defendants.

According to Professional Standards Section records, officer Lebeda allegedly failed to drive with due regard for safety and, with his emergency lights and siren activated, collided with a citizen motorist while attempting to pass the citizen and cross over into the eastbound lane of traffic.

Outcome

Reprimand.

Tremel Stone was shot while his back was facing Officer Ron Ammerman and he was running away. Stone stated that the only reason he ran was because the two officers are well known for planting evidence. Wendy Collier and Ron Ammerman did plant a gun on Stone that was used to charge him with possession of weapon

Outcome

With discovery that was provided during a civil suit, it became clear that the officers conspired to plant evidence on Stone. A civil suit against the City of Buffalo and officers involved for damages was settled for $150,000.

An expert affidavit was submitted by Dannie Sherman, a former law enforcement officer and lead investigator in more than 800 cases. His opinion, with a reasonable degree of certainty, was that the shooting was not justified; there was a cover up with planted evidence with an overall lax review, and the planted evidence was tolerated by the Buffalo Police Department. He states that the level of complaints against Ammerman and Collier is not at all the norm.

According to firehouse.com, while responding to a call, Officer Delvecchio collided with another vehicle.

Outcome

None

Decocq and Herbin were allegedly attempting to make a mental hygiene arrest on an individual at a group home. Police said officers subdued the suspect with a Taser

Lt. Kwiatkowski arrived at Treehaven Road in Buffalo to respond to a vehicle that had been stopped by the Cheektowaga Police Department (CPD) and that was believed to be involved in an ongoing series of BB gun shootings, including one which occurred earlier that night. Lt. Kwiatkowski was the first BPD officer to arrive at the scene. Other CPD officers were present at the scene when Lt. Kwiatkowski arrived and had already removed the vehicle’s four occupants, who were all between 16 and 18 years old.

At the time of Lt. Kwiatkowski’s arrival, all of the occupants were compliant and completely under the control of the CPD officers. Upon arriving at the scene, Lt. Kwiatkowski used unlawful and unreasonable force on each of the four occupants. Specifically, Lt. Kwiatkowski admitted to forcibly pushing each of the suspects heads and upper torsos into the vehicle around which they were being detained. He also called the four Black teenagers “savage dogs” and asked, "Do you like shooting at white kids?"

Outcome

A federal judge sentenced the former Buffalo Police lieutenant to four months in prison in 2018.

Damaged fleet vehicle

Hit a light pole

Outcome

Reprimand

Allegedly failed to exercise due care and, while distracted, struck a light pole. Officer caused damage to fleet vehicle, totaling $1732.

Outcome

Reprimand

On January 9, 2009, a Black man, age 47, called the Mobile Crisis Unit to his home because his wife was in mental distress. Instead of the crisis unit, RPD Officer Brian
Cala and other police officers barged into the house. When the civilian's wife told him to get out of the house, Cala pepper-sprayed her, then punched her in the face several times. When
the civilian tried to help her, another officer pepper-sprayed him. The civilian’s wife was then forced to sit on their front steps in the cold, and when other family members came toward the house, saw her injuries, and asked who had done it, Cala yelled, “I fucking did it!” When the civilian’s complaint was presented to the Civilian Review Board in 2011, Officer Cala was exonerated.

Outcome

None

While off-duty, Perrone allegedly shot and killed a man outside a spa

Outcome

Praised as a hero

Hit pole with cruiser

Outcome

Official reprimand

Rochester Police Officer William Mason stopped the victims car after allegedly noticing that a taillight was out. Officer Mason and his partner entered their patrol car, sped up and stopped the vehicle. After issuing two appearance traffic tickets to defendant, one for a violation of Rochester's excessive vehicle sound ordinance, Mason asked the defendant to exit his car and sit in the back of his patrol car while defendant's car was searched and towed. Defendant was not under custodial arrest at that time, and the officer had no intention of taking defendant into custody. Rather, Officer Mason concluded that he was required to tow defendant's car because Rochester's City Code mandates the impoundment of a vehicle when its driver is cited for violating the city's excessive vehicle sound ordinance. Before it was towed, Officer Mason and his partner conducted an inventory search of defendant's car. During the inventory search, the police found a loaded shotgun and extra ammunition in the trunk of defendant's car. Defendant was then arrested, taken into custody, and charged with the prohibited possession of a firearm

Outcome

The impoundment and concomitant search of defendant's automobile, conducted without probable cause or a constitutionally permissible community caretaking purpose, violated the New York State and United States Constitutions. Rochester City Code is unconstitutional insofar as it authorized the impoundment of defendant's automobile in this case. The evidence seized as a result of the unlawful seizure and search of defendant's must therefore be suppressed.

Andrew Mackenzie shot victim after the man allegedly resisted arrest

Involved in event without description regarding "Information Regarding Crime"

Outcome

Reprimand

In 2006, Officer Cariol Horne intervened to stop a fellow officer, Gregory Kwiatkowski, who was choking Neal Mack, a Black man who was already placed under arrest and handcuffed. Horne was assaulted by the officer during the intervention, and thereafter the Buffalo Police Department punished officer Cariol Horne by terminating her for attempting to stop the assault by her fellow officer upon a citizen —just one year shy of receiving her full pension.

In October 2020, Buffalo adopted "Cariol's Law," to require police to intervene if a fellow officer uses excessive force. In 2021, a New York court awarded her the pension and back pay she earned. The city has yet to pay Cariol her pension.