Sheriff Howard grilled over misconduct involving sheriff’s deputies
The Erie County Sheriff was grilled over misconduct involving sheriff’s deputies.
Sheriff Timothy Howard took questions for nearly two hours Thursday while appearing before the legislature’s public safety committee meeting.
The county’s top law enforcement leader was questioned at length about alleged cases of deputies engaging in inappropriate behavior.
“I never said that I was not willing to discuss any of the six points in legislator Johnson’s letter,” stated Sheriff Howard.
The Erie County Legislature’s Democratic Majority says Sheriff Howard hasn’t appeared before the legislature’s public safety committee in two years.
Sheriff Howard appeared virtually and asked about professional standards and the handling of several misconduct cases involving sheriff deputies.
The alleged incidents were outlined in a letter from committee public safety committee chairman Howard Johnson:
- A corrections officer threatening protesters in a street with a baseball bat in 2020
- A holding center deputy being arrested for drug charges (and DWI)
- Male corrections officers or holding center deputies engaged in improper sexual or romantic relationships with female prisoners or former prisoners
- Incidents/accidents involving deputies and 24-hour take home vehicles and a road deputy who was arrested for DWI after wrecking his unmarked sheriff vehicle in October 2020
- A civil process deputy who improperly ran the license plates of, and accosted (while on duty) a then-Buffalo Bison baseball player and another person in order to find out why the civilian was socializing with the deputy’s girlfriend (who had a criminal record, for which the deputy was forbidden from associating)
- Data suggesting that 70% of the ECSO staff that are investigated for alleged wrongdoing are exonerated or face minor charges/discipline