BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Acting Buffalo Mayor Chris Scanlon announced that he met with Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia earlier Monday and informed him he would be taking the department in a different direction.
As a result, Scanlon said Gramaglia has resigned from his position and will return to the rank of captain.
Gramaglia issued the following statement on Monday evening:
"This morning, I was informed by Acting Mayor Scanlon of his decision that he was moving in a different direction and that I would no longer be serving as the Buffalo Police Commissioner. It has been an honor of a lifetime to serve the residents of the City of Buffalo and to work alongside the incredible women and men who make up the Buffalo Police Department.
Public safety has always been my top priority. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the members of the department, in close collaboration with the community, we achieved historic reductions in violent crime and shootings – levels not seen in decades in Buffalo.
I am deeply grateful to Mayor Byron Brown for providing me with this opportunity and to the many law enforcement partners who work collaboratively to make our great City of Buffalo as safe as possible.
And on a personal note, I want to thank all the members of the department and their families for all of their unwavering commitment, professionalism and sacrifice. Your efforts continue to make a meaningful difference in our community each and every day."
First Deputy Police Commissioner Alphonso Wright has been named Acting Buffalo Police Commissioner effective January 14.
Scanlon said he will submit Wright's name to the Buffalo Common Council as his nomination to be permanent BPD Commissioner.
"Commissioner Wright's experience, comprehensive knowledge of the department's operations, and strong rapport with the men and women of the Buffalo Police Department make him the right choice to lead the department into this new chapter for the City of Buffalo."
According to his biography, Wright joined the department in 1988 as a patrol officer and completed his education at Buffalo State University in 1994 while working as a full-time officer. He then rose through the ranks, he was promoted to lieutenant in 2014, captain in 2016, district chief in 2018 and First Deputy Police Commissioner of Operations in 2022.
Gramaglia was appointed commissioner in March of 2022 by former Mayor Byron Brown and has supervised every detective unit in the department.
He joined the Buffalo Police Department in 1996 as a patrol officer and rose through the department ranks. In 2008, he was promoted to lieutenant. In 2013, Gramaglia was promoted once again - this time to captain and assigned to lead the Homicide/Crimes Against Persons division. He was promoted to Chief in 2016.
Gramaglia became one of the most visible faces of Buffalo following the racist massacre at the Tops supermarket on Jefferson Avenue on May 14, 2022. He has been an advocate for evidence-based policing, using data to target gun violence.
A native of Poughkeepsie, Gramaglia is the son of a state trooper. He grew up in Lackawanna and attended Bishop Timon High School in South Buffalo. He received his associate degree in criminal justice from Hilbert College, a bachelor's degree in communication at SUNY Fredonia, and a master's degree in public administration from SUNY Buffalo State.
According to his city bio, Gramaglia currently serves as president of Major Cities Chiefs' Association.
Watch reporters Taylor Epps and Maki Becker break down the developments in the video directly below.