A bill in New York State Legislature could allow the City of Buffalo to require career residency for Buffalo police officers.
In a July 15 letter to Common Council President Darius G. Pridgen, Assemblywoman Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes said she and State Sen. Tim Kennedy recently introduced a bill in both houses of state government that authorizes Buffalo to enact a local law to require Buffalo police officers hired after the adoption of such a law to be residents of the city while they are employed as police officers.
Current officers would need to follow any pre-existing residency requirements, the letter said.
A state law has to be adopted first to allow the city to adopt a local law requiring such a residency requirement, according to Majority Leader Peoples-Stokes.
"It's a very important law that is going through Albany now," said Common Council President Darius G. Pridgen said during Tuesday's Council meeting.
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"The reason I support this 100% is the building of relationships. How do we build relationships with the people and the people who provide public safety?" Pridgen added.
Residency requirement is one of the police reforms that constituents have told Council members they would like to see following recent protests in the city sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, local resentment about the way police treat Black and brown residents, and national notoriety over the department’s handling of a City Hall protest in which a video showed a 75-year-old man being pushed by officers, resulting in head injuries and hospitalization when he fell.
A residency requirement for the first seven years of employment as a police officer ended under a sunset clause when the city's contract with the Buffalo Police Benevolent Association expired June 30, 2019, Police Union President John T. Evans has said. Since then, there have been two classes of police recruits that do not have to live in the city.
In her letter, Peoples-Stokes said she introduced the legislation because it would be beneficial to the community and Buffalo's finances.
"I truly believe that with a shift over time to eventually have all police officers be residents of our great city, there will be better outcomes for the entire community. The officers will be more familiar, committed, and invested in seeing the people and the city itself succeed, and people will know that officers are their neighbors and part of the same community. A greater foundation of mutual respect will be built," she wrote.
"Additionally, by having police officers reside in the city, they will contribute to the city’s property tax base, and be more likely to spend their income within the city limits," she added. "Given the dire state of the city’s finances, and bleak outlook given the current conditions, increasing the city’s tax base is critical."
The Council will discuss the state bill and a local ordinance during its Legislation Committee meeting at 1 p.m. next Tuesday.
The Council also asked that a representative from the city's Human Resources Department attend next Tuesday's Legislation Committee to discuss the residency verification and investigation processes.
"The state seems to be moving towards allowing cities to do residency laws for police," Pridgen said. "My question is how do we check residency now before we even get into that, so that the process will be up and ready to work if need be."
