Defund the Police: Toolkit
Demands
- The new police contract must have no extra protections for BPD officers from being disciplined for misconduct beyond what is required by state law
- The new police contract must stipulate that officers are promoted based on merit, not on seniority, and must conduct quarterly performance reviews
- The new contract must reform overtime and court pay and stipulate that all new officers must be city residents for the duration of their employment
- Common Council must make the final proposed contract public at least a month before they vote to approve it and in that time must hold at least 3 public hearings to get community feedback
IDEAS AND METHODS
Below are Free the People’s initial ideas for how we can start dismantling the oppressive policing structure we have and begin to invest in true public safety through community supports.
IMMEDIATE CUTS
PRIORITY INVESTMENTS
Cars And Equipment
Traffic-calming Infrastructure
- Deny BPD July 14 request of $350,000 for “take home vehicles.”
- Refuse to fund new weapons, cars, or equipment
- Invest in speed bumps, chicanes and other measures by working with the city’s Slow Streets program & Public Works
- Move at least $6 million from the police budget to Public Works for this purpose in 2021.
Traffic
Youth Employment & Education
- Remove police from traffic enforcement.
- Utilize traffic-calming infrastructure to make roads safer
- Assign other traffic duties to unarmed city employees, not police
- After-school and summer youth programs like Mayor’s Summer Youth significantly reduce youth crime
- The entire Youth Services Division budget is only $3.3 million and serves a tiny fraction of the city’s youth
- Move at least $5 million from the police into youth services in 2021.
Overtime
LEAD & Behavioral Health Services
- Court and overtime pay account for over $10 million of BPD approved budget. Lawmakers must cut this line item and re-negotiate the union contract for common sense reforms to overtime and court time pay rules.
- Fully fund a LEAD pilot program in B District for 2021 by moving $200,000 from the police budget to this program. Over time the city must stop criminalizing personal drug use and invest in proven programs to support mental health.
LONG-TERM CUTS
Personnel
Violence Interruption Programs
- Over 81% of the police budget goes directly to salaries for Public Safety officers.
- Buffalo has an above-average number of officers for a city its size (27.8 officers for every 10,000 residents, compared to the national average of 18.7).
- Institute a hiring freeze to reduce officer numbers & independent civilian oversight to fire officers who abuse their power.
- Fully fund existing violence interruption programs
- Provide new grants to community groups with innovative ideas for stopping violence in their communities using restorative practices, community agreements, environmental design and other community-driven ideas.
ACTION: TOOLKIT
"Defunding The Police" Questionnaire
The Buffalo Common Council adopted a resolution titled “Defunding Police Forum” on June 23, 2020. This resolution calls on the Council to create a system to collect and compile written input from stakeholders on their ideas of reallocating funds in the city’s upcoming operating budget. Not sure what to write? Check out some of the ideas from the list of ideas above. Let us know your other ideas by leaving us a message on our contact page!
By taking the time to fill out this questionnaire, you are participating in a budgetary process that aims to make positive changes to The City of Buffalo’s budget.
Call, Email, Tweet at government officials
During COVID one of the only way elected officials hear from their representatives are by phone, email and social media, so this is how city legislatures hear from YOU what matters to YOU
Call or email Corporate Counsel (the City’s lawyer) Tim Ball:
As a Buffalo resident, I’m very concerned about a police contract being negotiated with no public input at all. In your negotiations with the police union we need the following changes:
- No extra protections for police from being disciplined or fired beyond what is required by state law
- All investigations of complaints and disciplinary actions should be done by an independent civilian oversight board
- Overtime and court time pay should be capped at $10,000 a year per officer and they should only be paid for the hours they actually work
- All new officers should live in the City for the duration of their employment
- All promotions and rewards should be given based on merit, not on seniority
- All officers should have ongoing performance reviews, at least quarterly
We need the police and its union to understand that they work for us, the people, and we will not accept an agreement that allows police officers to abuse us and our tax dollars and get away with it. I’m asking you to stand strong on these demands and refuse to accept any contract that doesn’t meet these basic requirements. Thank you.•
Call, Email, And Tweet At The Common Council And Mayor Brown!
Identify your council district:
Select your council Member:
| District | Representative | Phone Number | Twitter Handle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Masten District |
Ulysees Wingo
|
(716) 851-5145 |
uwingo@city-buffalo.com |
@uwingosr |
|
Ellicott District
|
Darius Pridgen
|
(716) 851-4980
|
dpridgen@city-buffalo.com |
@DariusPridgena |
|
Fillmore District
|
Mitch Nowakowski
|
(716) 851-4138
|
mnowakowski@city-buffalo.com |
@MitchNowakowski |
|
University District
|
Rasheed Wyatt
|
(716) 851-5165
|
rwyatt@city-buffalo.com |
@RasheedWyatt |
|
Niagara District
|
David Rivera |
(716) 851-5125
|
darivera@city-buffalo.com |
N/A |
|
South District
|
Christopher Scanlon
|
(716) 851-5169
|
cscanlon@city-buffalo.com |
@CMChrisScanlo |
|
Delaware District
|
Joel Feroleto
|
(716) 851-5155
|
jferoleto@city-buffalo.com |
@JoelFeroleto |
|
Lovejoy District
|
Bryan Bollaman
|
(716) 851-5151
|
bbollman@city-buffalo.com |
@Bollman4Lovejoy
|
|
North District |
Joseph Golombek |
(716) 851-5116 |
jgolombek@city-buffalo.com |
@golombek4reform |
|
All Districts |
Council Staff |
(716) 851-5105 |
N/A |
@BFLO_CC |
|
Mayor’s Office |
Byron Brown |
(716) 851-4866*
(Executive assistant) |
mayor@city-buffalo.com |
@MayorByronBrown |
Sample Script
Hi, Councilman/Mayor ________. My name is _______ and I live in the _____ district and I’m contacting you regarding the city of Buffalo police contract.
I’m very concerned about having a contract that gives the police union a lot of decision-making power over how the police act in our city and gives residents no say in the process at all.
I am asking you to commit to making the proposed contract public at least a month before you vote on it, and in that time to hold at least three public hearings before you vote. In addition, please do not vote to approve any contract without the following changes:
- No extra protections for police from being disciplined or fired beyond what is required by state law
- All investigations of complaints and disciplinary actions should be done by an independent civilian oversight board
- Overtime and court time pay should be capped at $10,000 a year per officer and they should only be paid for the hours they actually work
- All new officers should live in the City for the duration of their employment
- All promotions and rewards should be given based on merit, not on seniority
- All officers should have ongoing performance reviews, at least quarterly
It is totally unfair to residents to have such important decisions about our lives made in the dark with no public input. Please commit to making this process as transparent as possible, and stand strong on these common-sense reforms. Thank you for your time and for your public service.
Sample Tweets
- @BFLO_CC Residents deserve a voice in police contract negotiations. We are sick of being taken advantage of by the PBA and paying for out-of-control police. Hold public hearings and refuse to approve any new contract without big changes!
- BPD are paid for 4 hrs of work every time they go to court, even if they stay for 20 min. Last yr Bflo residents paid $10 million+ for PD overtime & court time. It’s almost as if the police contract is weighted in favor of pd making 6 figure salaries off our tax dollars! @BFLO_CC
Demands
- The new police contract must have no extra protections for BPD officers from being disciplined for misconduct beyond what is required by state law
- The new police contract must stipulate that officers are promoted based on merit, not on seniority, and must conduct quarterly performance reviews
- The new contract must reform overtime and court pay and stipulate that all new officers must be city residents for the duration of their employment
- Common Council must make the final proposed contract public at least a month before they vote to approve it and in that time must hold at least 3 public hearings to get community feedback
IDEAS AND METHODS
Below are Free the People’s initial ideas for how we can start dismantling the oppressive policing structure we have and begin to invest in true public safety through community supports.
IMMEDIATE CUTS
Cars And Equipment
- Deny BPD July 14 request of $350,000 for “take home vehicles.”
- Refuse to fund new weapons, cars, or equipment
Traffic
- Remove police from traffic enforcement.
- Utilize traffic-calming infrastructure to make roads safer
- Assign other traffic duties to unarmed city employees, not police
Overtime
- Court and overtime pay account for over $10 million of BPD approved budget. Lawmakers must cut this line item and re-negotiate the union contract for common sense reforms to overtime and court time pay rules.
PRIORITY INVESTMENTS
Traffic-calming Infrastructure
- Invest in speed bumps, chicanes and other measures by working with the city’s Slow Streets program & Public Works
- Move at least $6 million from the police budget to Public Works for this purpose in 2021.
Youth Employment & Education
- After-school and summer youth programs like Mayor’s Summer Youth significantly reduce youth crime
- The entire Youth Services Division budget is only $3.3 million and serves a tiny fraction of the city’s youth
- Move at least $5 million from the police into youth services in 2021.
LEAD & Behavioral Health Services
- Fully fund a LEAD pilot program in B District for 2021 by moving $200,000 from the police budget to this program. Over time the city must stop criminalizing personal drug use and invest in proven programs to support mental health.
LONG-TERM CUTS
Personnel
- Over 81% of the police budget goes directly to salaries for Public Safety officers.
- Buffalo has an above-average number of officers for a city its size (27.8 officers for every 10,000 residents, compared to the national average of 18.7).
- Institute a hiring freeze to reduce officer numbers & independent civilian oversight to fire officers who abuse their power.
Violence Interruption Programs
- Fully fund existing violence interruption programs
- Provide new grants to community groups with innovative ideas for stopping violence in their communities using restorative practices, community agreements, environmental design and other community-driven ideas.
Demands
- The new police contract must have no extra protections for BPD officers from being disciplined for misconduct beyond what is required by state law
- The new police contract must stipulate that officers are promoted based on merit, not on seniority, and must conduct quarterly performance reviews
- The new contract must reform overtime and court pay and stipulate that all new officers must be city residents for the duration of their employment
- Common Council must make the final proposed contract public at least a month before they vote to approve it and in that time must hold at least 3 public hearings to get community feedback
IDEAS AND METHODS
Below are Free the People’s initial ideas for how we can start dismantling the oppressive policing structure we have and begin to invest in true public safety through community supports.
IMMEDIATE CUTS
PRIORITY INVESTMENTS
Cars And Equipment
Traffic-calming Infrastructure
- Deny BPD July 14 request of $350,000 for “take home vehicles.”
- Refuse to fund new weapons, cars, or equipment
- Invest in speed bumps, chicanes and other measures by working with the city’s Slow Streets program & Public Works
- Move at least $6 million from the police budget to Public Works for this purpose in 2021.
Traffic
Youth Employment & Education
- Remove police from traffic enforcement.
- Utilize traffic-calming infrastructure to make roads safer
- Assign other traffic duties to unarmed city employees, not police
- After-school and summer youth programs like Mayor’s Summer Youth significantly reduce youth crime
- The entire Youth Services Division budget is only $3.3 million and serves a tiny fraction of the city’s youth
- Move at least $5 million from the police into youth services in 2021.
Overtime
LEAD & Behavioral Health Services
- Court and overtime pay account for over $10 million of BPD approved budget. Lawmakers must cut this line item and re-negotiate the union contract for common sense reforms to overtime and court time pay rules.
- Fully fund a LEAD pilot program in B District for 2021 by moving $200,000 from the police budget to this program. Over time the city must stop criminalizing personal drug use and invest in proven programs to support mental health.
LONG-TERM CUTS
Personnel
Violence Interruption Programs
- Over 81% of the police budget goes directly to salaries for Public Safety officers.
- Buffalo has an above-average number of officers for a city its size (27.8 officers for every 10,000 residents, compared to the national average of 18.7).
- Institute a hiring freeze to reduce officer numbers & independent civilian oversight to fire officers who abuse their power.
- Fully fund existing violence interruption programs
- Provide new grants to community groups with innovative ideas for stopping violence in their communities using restorative practices, community agreements, environmental design and other community-driven ideas.
ACTION: TOOLKIT
"Defunding The Police" Questionnaire
The Buffalo Common Council adopted a resolution titled “Defunding Police Forum” on June 23, 2020. This resolution calls on the Council to create a system to collect and compile written input from stakeholders on their ideas of reallocating funds in the city’s upcoming operating budget. Not sure what to write? Check out some of the ideas from the list of ideas above. Let us know your other ideas by leaving us a message on our contact page!
By taking the time to fill out this questionnaire, you are participating in a budgetary process that aims to make positive changes to The City of Buffalo’s budget.
Call, Email, Tweet at government officials
During COVID one of the only way elected officials hear from their representatives are by phone, email and social media, so this is how city legislatures hear from YOU what matters to YOU
Call or email Corporate Counsel (the City’s lawyer) Tim Ball:
As a Buffalo resident, I’m very concerned about a police contract being negotiated with no public input at all. In your negotiations with the police union we need the following changes:
- No extra protections for police from being disciplined or fired beyond what is required by state law
- All investigations of complaints and disciplinary actions should be done by an independent civilian oversight board
- Overtime and court time pay should be capped at $10,000 a year per officer and they should only be paid for the hours they actually work
- All new officers should live in the City for the duration of their employment
- All promotions and rewards should be given based on merit, not on seniority
- All officers should have ongoing performance reviews, at least quarterly
We need the police and its union to understand that they work for us, the people, and we will not accept an agreement that allows police officers to abuse us and our tax dollars and get away with it. I’m asking you to stand strong on these demands and refuse to accept any contract that doesn’t meet these basic requirements. Thank you.•
Call, Email, And Tweet At The Common Council And Mayor Brown!
Identify your council district:
Select your council Member:
| District | Representative | Phone Number | Twitter Handle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Masten District |
Ulysees Wingo
|
(716) 851-5145 |
uwingo@city-buffalo.com |
@uwingosr |
|
Ellicott District
|
Darius Pridgen
|
(716) 851-4980
|
dpridgen@city-buffalo.com |
@DariusPridgena |
|
Fillmore District
|
Mitch Nowakowski
|
(716) 851-4138
|
mnowakowski@city-buffalo.com |
@MitchNowakowski |
|
University District
|
Rasheed Wyatt
|
(716) 851-5165
|
rwyatt@city-buffalo.com |
@RasheedWyatt |
|
Niagara District
|
David Rivera |
(716) 851-5125
|
darivera@city-buffalo.com |
N/A |
|
South District
|
Christopher Scanlon
|
(716) 851-5169
|
cscanlon@city-buffalo.com |
@CMChrisScanlo |
|
Delaware District
|
Joel Feroleto
|
(716) 851-5155
|
jferoleto@city-buffalo.com |
@JoelFeroleto |
|
Lovejoy District
|
Bryan Bollaman
|
(716) 851-5151
|
bbollman@city-buffalo.com |
@Bollman4Lovejoy
|
|
North District |
Joseph Golombek |
(716) 851-5116 |
jgolombek@city-buffalo.com |
@golombek4reform |
|
All Districts |
Council Staff |
(716) 851-5105 |
N/A |
@BFLO_CC |
|
Mayor’s Office |
Byron Brown |
(716) 851-4866*
(Executive assistant) |
mayor@city-buffalo.com |
@MayorByronBrown |
Sample Script
Hi, Councilman/Mayor ________. My name is _______ and I live in the _____ district and I’m contacting you regarding the city of Buffalo police contract.
I’m very concerned about having a contract that gives the police union a lot of decision-making power over how the police act in our city and gives residents no say in the process at all.
I am asking you to commit to making the proposed contract public at least a month before you vote on it, and in that time to hold at least three public hearings before you vote. In addition, please do not vote to approve any contract without the following changes:
- No extra protections for police from being disciplined or fired beyond what is required by state law
- All investigations of complaints and disciplinary actions should be done by an independent civilian oversight board
- Overtime and court time pay should be capped at $10,000 a year per officer and they should only be paid for the hours they actually work
- All new officers should live in the City for the duration of their employment
- All promotions and rewards should be given based on merit, not on seniority
- All officers should have ongoing performance reviews, at least quarterly
It is totally unfair to residents to have such important decisions about our lives made in the dark with no public input. Please commit to making this process as transparent as possible, and stand strong on these common-sense reforms. Thank you for your time and for your public service.
Sample Tweets
- @BFLO_CC Residents deserve a voice in police contract negotiations. We are sick of being taken advantage of by the PBA and paying for out-of-control police. Hold public hearings and refuse to approve any new contract without big changes!
- BPD are paid for 4 hrs of work every time they go to court, even if they stay for 20 min. Last yr Bflo residents paid $10 million+ for PD overtime & court time. It’s almost as if the police contract is weighted in favor of pd making 6 figure salaries off our tax dollars! @BFLO_CC
ACTION: TOOLKIT
"Defunding The Police" Questionnaire
The Buffalo Common Council adopted a resolution titled “Defunding Police Forum” on June 23, 2020. This resolution calls on the Council to create a system to collect and compile written input from stakeholders on their ideas of reallocating funds in the city’s upcoming operating budget. Not sure what to write? Check out some of the ideas from the list of ideas above. Let us know your other ideas by leaving us a message on our contact page!
By taking the time to fill out this questionnaire, you are participating in a budgetary process that aims to make positive changes to The City of Buffalo’s budget.
Call, Email, Tweet at government officials
During COVID one of the only way elected officials hear from their representatives are by phone, email and social media, so this is how city legislatures hear from YOU what matters to YOU
Call or email Corporate Counsel (the City’s lawyer) Tim Ball:
As a Buffalo resident, I’m very concerned about a police contract being negotiated with no public input at all. In your negotiations with the police union we need the following changes:
- No extra protections for police from being disciplined or fired beyond what is required by state law
- All investigations of complaints and disciplinary actions should be done by an independent civilian oversight board
- Overtime and court time pay should be capped at $10,000 a year per officer and they should only be paid for the hours they actually work
- All new officers should live in the City for the duration of their employment
- All promotions and rewards should be given based on merit, not on seniority
- All officers should have ongoing performance reviews, at least quarterly
We need the police and its union to understand that they work for us, the people, and we will not accept an agreement that allows police officers to abuse us and our tax dollars and get away with it. I’m asking you to stand strong on these demands and refuse to accept any contract that doesn’t meet these basic requirements. Thank you.•
Call, Email, And Tweet At The Common Council And Mayor Brown!
Identify your council district:
Select your council Member:
| District | Representative | Phone Number | Twitter Handle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Masten District |
Ulysees Wingo
|
(716) 851-5145 |
uwingo@city-buffalo.com |
@uwingosr |
|
Ellicott District
|
Darius Pridgen
|
(716) 851-4980
|
dpridgen@city-buffalo.com |
@DariusPridgena |
|
Fillmore District
|
Mitch Nowakowski
|
(716) 851-4138
|
mnowakowski@city-buffalo.com |
@MitchNowakowski |
|
University District
|
Rasheed Wyatt
|
(716) 851-5165
|
rwyatt@city-buffalo.com |
@RasheedWyatt |
|
Niagara District
|
David Rivera |
(716) 851-5125
|
darivera@city-buffalo.com |
N/A |
|
South District
|
Christopher Scanlon
|
(716) 851-5169
|
cscanlon@city-buffalo.com |
@CMChrisScanlo |
|
Delaware District
|
Joel Feroleto
|
(716) 851-5155
|
jferoleto@city-buffalo.com |
@JoelFeroleto |
|
Lovejoy District
|
Bryan Bollaman
|
(716) 851-5151
|
bbollman@city-buffalo.com |
@Bollman4Lovejoy
|
|
North District |
Joseph Golombek |
(716) 851-5116 |
jgolombek@city-buffalo.com |
@golombek4reform |
|
All Districts |
Council Staff |
(716) 851-5105 |
N/A |
@BFLO_CC |
|
Mayor’s Office |
Byron Brown |
(716) 851-4866*
(Executive assistant) |
mayor@city-buffalo.com |
@MayorByronBrown |
Sample Script
Hi, Councilman/Mayor ________. My name is _______ and I live in the _____ district and I’m contacting you regarding the city of Buffalo police contract.
I’m very concerned about having a contract that gives the police union a lot of decision-making power over how the police act in our city and gives residents no say in the process at all.
I am asking you to commit to making the proposed contract public at least a month before you vote on it, and in that time to hold at least three public hearings before you vote. In addition, please do not vote to approve any contract without the following changes:
- No extra protections for police from being disciplined or fired beyond what is required by state law
- All investigations of complaints and disciplinary actions should be done by an independent civilian oversight board
- Overtime and court time pay should be capped at $10,000 a year per officer and they should only be paid for the hours they actually work
- All new officers should live in the City for the duration of their employment
- All promotions and rewards should be given based on merit, not on seniority
- All officers should have ongoing performance reviews, at least quarterly
It is totally unfair to residents to have such important decisions about our lives made in the dark with no public input. Please commit to making this process as transparent as possible, and stand strong on these common-sense reforms. Thank you for your time and for your public service.
Sample Tweets
- @BFLO_CC Residents deserve a voice in police contract negotiations. We are sick of being taken advantage of by the PBA and paying for out-of-control police. Hold public hearings and refuse to approve any new contract without big changes!
- BPD are paid for 4 hrs of work every time they go to court, even if they stay for 20 min. Last yr Bflo residents paid $10 million+ for PD overtime & court time. It’s almost as if the police contract is weighted in favor of pd making 6 figure salaries off our tax dollars! @BFLO_CC