BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Buffalo Common Council has adopted a resolution to dismantle the city's Police Advisory Board and create a new one.
During Tuesday night's Common Council meeting, Councilman David Rivera proposed doing away with the board following five board member resignations since February 1.
Rivera said those board members stepped down due to "internal conflicts." He went on to say the remaining BPAB members pushed back on the Common Council's need to approve the proposed replacements for the board.
The Common Council also cited the lack of public bylaws to establish how the board appointed new members, selected its leadership and conducted its meetings as reasons for dissolving the board.
Since its creation in 2018, Rivera said the BPAB has advocated for a number of changes within the Buffalo Police Department, such as implementing body camera usage, codifying the department's use of force policies and adopting an Assisted Diversion Program to handle police response to mental health emergencies.
"This council actually implemented a lot of these suggestions they made and it is my hope that that would have continued and it is my hope that it will continue moving forward," Rivera said.
The resolution adopted Tuesday night instructs the Buffalo Common Council's staff to develop a framework for a new police advisory board to continue police-community relations. In a press release sent to 7 News Wednesday, the Common Council said it will "evaluate other municipalities and research to create a board that empowers residents to discuss reforms on policing."
You can watch the full Common Council meeting below; the Common Council's discussion surrounding the Police Advisory Board begins around 34 minutes into the meeting.
The council encourages anyone with concerns or questions regarding the decision to contact them at (716) 851-5105 or by emailing them at councilstaff@buffalony.gov.
