During a protest in support of Black Lives Matter on May 30th, 2020 thousands of Buffalo residents gathered at Niagara square against the persistent police violence and brutality both locally and across the county. In reaction to the righteous anger and residents expressing their first amendment rights, United States Marshals, Homeland Security Investigation Officers, Immigration Customs Enforcements Officers, Federal Protective Service Officers, New York State Police Officers, Amherst Police Officers, and Buffalo Police Officers lined up along the Federal Courthouse in head to toe riot gear standing shoulder to shoulder along the courthouse steps. Police shot "less lethal" rounds, tear gas, and mace at protesters.

At approximately 6:45 PM a protestor who was 18 years old at the time threw a water bottle at one of the officers in the face who was protected by riot gear, including a helmet with a shield. After a week of protests, a United States Marshal obtained body cam footage from Buffalo Police. Screen shots from the footage were provided to the Erie Crime Analysis Center. Those images were then run through facial recognition databases which identified the individual who threw the water bottle. A deputy United States Marshal then found the protester on social media and made the erroneous determination that because he had images of himself with a blue jacket and shoes he was associated with the Crips gang. The deputy also surveilled the protestors house and observed him enter and exit his house wearing the same backpack he wore during the May 30th protest.

Based this alleged act during the protest and the associated alleged evidence, a criminal complaint was filed against the protester for violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 111(a)(1), for knowingly and forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating or interfering with a person designated in Title 18, United States Code, Section 1114 while engaged in on account of the performance of official duties and such acts involved physical contact with the victim.

The protestor pled guilty to a one count Misdemeanor Information charging the above violation. The protester served 7 months in custody and 1 year probation. He was also required to mental health treatment, substance abuse treatment, drug testing, and domestic violence program. Four month into supervised release, probation petitioned the District court for additional conditions of supervision. One of those conditions was electronic monitoring with a curfew of 8:00 PM. The protestor had to cover the cost for such monitoring and for the other treatment programs. The final condition imposed was the requirement to go to a halfway house for two month and obey the rules and regulations of the halfway house.

Police fired pepper balls at freelance photographer Andrew Jasiura and an officer tried to grab his camera while he was reporting on protests in Buffalo, New York, on May 30, 2020.

Police began to attempt to clear the square by firing nonlethal projectiles and advancing in a line. One officer asked Jasiura why he was taking pictures, and Jasiura said he pointed to his bright yellow vest that said “PRESS” in English and Cantonese (Jasiura had previously covered demonstrations in Hong Kong).

The photographer subsequently tried to come to the aid of a black man who had been hit with mace and pepper balls. “He was just pouring mucus out of his face, out of his nose, his mouth, his eyes. His whole face was red,” Jasiura said. Jasiura tried to wash the protester’s eyes out with saline spray, at which point officers shot pepper balls at him, even though his press vest was clearly visible.

On May 30, 2020, two peaceful protesters were forcibly shoved and assaulted by the Emergency Response Team(ERT) while they were standing with raised firsts in Niagara Square. In an interview, one protester reported that she suffered a fractured rib and a welt as a result of being assaulted by members of the ERT.

Damaged a police car

Outcome

Reprimand

CW: Quentin Suttles sustained serious personal injuries when Buffalo Police Officers used excessive force and brutally beat Mr. Suttles after pulling him over and arresting him.

An individual filed a civil rights claim against the city of Rochester and several police officers, including Briganti

Court docket Forbes v. City of Rochester et al allegedly names officer Thomas Lisle. The Case Number is 6:2021cv06457 and the Nature of Suit is Prisoner: Civil Rights

Lt. Perkowski was allegedly involved in the cover-up of the murder of a civilian

Officer Kevin Murphy arrested Lakisha Neal, 42, on March 25, 2020. Body camera footage shows Murphy grabbing Neal, cursing and twice spraying her with pepper spray while other officers do nothing to intervene other than telling Neal to cooperate.

“Get in the car or get sprayed!” Murphy demands after grabbing Neal by the arm and forcing her to a patrol car. Murphy deploys pepper spray after Neal says she’s pregnant.

“Will y’all listen to me?” Neal asked seconds before Murphy sprayed her. As tears from the first spraying run down Neal’s face, Murphy sprayed again after Neal tells him that she can’t breathe.

Neal was arrested and charged with making a false report, obstruction, reckless endangerment and resisting arrest.

Outcome

All charges against Neal were dismissed.

Former Police Commissioner Byron Lockwood fired Murphy.

An arbitrator upheld the Buffalo Police Department's firing of Murphy for excessive force and falsely stating that Neal had admitted telling a dispatcher that a gun was at the address. The arbitrator found that Murphy knew that Neal didn’t have a gun and that he’d failed to use de-escalation techniques.

However, the Buffalo Police Benevolent Association asked the arbitrator to overturn the decision reached after Murphy collected more than $276,000 in salary from the city while his disciplinary case was pending. Erie County Supreme Court documents dating to 2013 show no other cases of either the city or the police union asking a judge to reverse an arbitrator’s decision on whether an officer should be fired.

The union during arbitration proceedings argued that Murphy didn't use excessive force and did not deserve termination. The union maintained, Officers aren’t prohibited from handcuffing or deploying pepper spray on pregnant women and Murphy testified that women seeking leniency sometimes lie about being pregnant, according to arbitration records filed by the union in the lawsuit.

Supreme Court Judge Amy Martoche threw out the arbitrator’s decision upholding the termination of a Buffalo Police Officer Kevin Murphy fired. Judge Martoche ruled in her August 20, 2024 decision that arbitrator Jeffrey Selchick improperly failed to consider testimony from three witnesses, including Officer Allan May, who teaches use of force techniques at the department’s training academy, retired Lt. Michael Alberti, who worked in internal affairs, and former Buffalo Police Commissioner Byron Lockwood.

Lockwood during an arbitration proceeding claimed that Neal’s verbal resistance to Murphy justified the officer physically removing her from a porch, union lawyer Rodney Personius wrote in a brief urging Martoche to overturn the arbitrator’s decision that upheld the firing. Lockwood also acknowledged that Neal continued resisting Murphy, even after she was pepper-sprayed, Personius wrote.

The city could put Murphy back on the force or, alternatively, ask the Fourth Appellate Division to overturn Martoche’s decision, or attempt to hold a new arbitration proceeding on the same issues.

Magri was one of the seven Rochester Police Department officers suspended due to their involvement in the arrest of Daniel Prude

Outcome

suspension

Allegedly involved in the cover up of the murder of a civilian

Bello was at the scene as civilian was brutalized, resulting in his death, and did nothing to intervene in the horrific violence, nor reported it. Nor did Bello or speak out about it after, becoming part of a widespread coverup.

Outcome

No charges have been brought against any of the officers directly involved or those who stood by, or those who knew of the extreme brutality and did not report it.

On the night of December 29, 2019 Buffalo Police Officers Mitchell J. Thomas II and Mitchell R. Thomas initiated a traffic stop. William Fugate was a passenger in the backseat of the vehicle. According to prosecutors, Fugate tried to flee from the vehicle. They also claim that while Fugate was running away, he pointed a gun at the officers.

The officers fired their guns at Fugate and struck him four times. Fugate was found a short time later hiding in a backyard. He was taken to Erie County Medical Center for treatment of the gunshot wounds to the side of his body.

Prosecutors claim a "loaded, illegal pistol" was found in Fugate's "flight path." However, Fugate disputeed the police version of events.

Outcome

No charges were filed against the officers.

While media reports said that Fugate pled guilty to a weapons possession charge, there are no court records that confirm this. Fugate did plead guilty to a possession with intent to distribute charge in 2021 after prosecutors claim a warrant was executed at a residence that Fugate was present at and 13 ounces of methamphetamine were found in a locked safe.

On December 7, 2019 at approximately 12:21 a.m. Buffalo Police Officer Andrew Whiteford in coordination with Officer Charles Miller planted cocaine in Cheryl Stephens's car to create the premise for her false arrest.

Outcome

The City of Buffalo settled a civil case for damages for $65,000. No known disciplinary actions against the officers have been taken.

During a traffic stop, Dep. Turner of CCSO detained passenger and migrant farmworker Luis Ulloa until US Border Patrol arrived, in apparent violation of the department's Fair and Impartial Policing Policy. Luis was later deported to Mexico.

According to Spectrum news, DeVincentis chased a victim and there was fighting for several minutes

Outcome

none

According to court documents, one 8th grade victim was waiting to be picked up by their mother from a school bus that had stopped and the driver called dispatch because other students had gotten into an altercation when RPD officers Edwards, Sterling, Pedicone, and Mendez approached the bus aggressively with mace. After the bus driver opening the door to let the child victim out, saying out-loud that they were not one of the students in the fight, the officers pushed, maced, forced to the ground and arrested both the child and an adult victim attempting to pick up the child with their mother.

Outcome

Court case undergoing mediation. No disciplinary actions

Buffalo Officers Kyle T Moriarity and Christopher Bridgett attacked, assaulted, and seized Dean Taylor, a Black man, without just cause or provocation, while he stood on a street corner taking a video of police activity down the street. Moriarity and Bridgett struck Taylor numerous times, dragged him to a police vehicle and handcuffed him behind his back.

Cpl. Chad Bean shot and killed a 62-year old man after responding to call of an attempted break-in. Chief Medical Examiner determined cause of death was “homicide/shot by police.”

According to City of Rochester public records, Officer Allen plead guilty to the New York State violation disorderly conduct in Niagara Falls, NY City Court. There is no further information on the disorderly conduct charge.

Outcome

Officer Allen received ten days' suspension without pay