BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Town of Tonawanda is taking disciplinary action against approximately 50 police officers accused of participating in an illegal strike, which the town claims involved a "ticket writing boycott" earlier this year.
The town's investigation, recently completed and confirmed with 7 News, alleges that officers stopped or reduced ticket issuance for three weeks due to frustrations with department leadership. The findings are being forwarded to the state’s Public Employment Relations Board, charging the officers with violating the state's Taylor Law, which governs public employee labor relations.
Disciplinary measures could include monetary fines, and letters have been dispatched to the affected officers informing them of the charges.
In response to the allegations, Andrew Thompson, president of the Town of Tonawanda Police Club, expressed that the claims lack merit. Thompson received a copy of the charges last week and insists that the police department has suffered from years of mismanagement. He stated, “I think it’s ridiculous, and I think it’s a waste of taxpayer money.”
Thompson contends that the department is facing criticism due to a recent termination of an officer, arguing that there was no coordinated slowdown in ticket writing.
“At the end of the day, they lost money, and I think that is what it comes down to,” he said.
He also stated that any disciplinary measures would be appealed and plans for fundraisers are underway to help officers recoup any fines incurred.
Thompson added that a change in leadership within the police department is overdue.
The situation continues to unfold as the town moves forward with its actions against the officers.
"Like your children; you love your children, but sometimes you got to hold your children accountable," Town of Tonawanda Supervisor Joe Emminger said.
54 of the town's officers issue tickets. Emminger said an investigation found that the alleged strike action happened between January 15 and February 5. Emminger said 48 of those officers who were on non-probationary were involved in a strike. About 25 of those officers reportedly did not write any tickets at all during those three weeks while they were on strike.
"The day they came off the strike, the numbers started to strike up," Emminger said. "There's a very defined period where you can tell a lot of tickets weren't being written up."
Thompson said the officers were not on strike. He also said that during those three weeks, a large portion of officers were busy with other jobs.
"This period that they are talking about, it snowed every single day," Thompson said. "The town ran out of salt. We're dealing with accidents and 1,900 more calls."
"We never said that they didn't show up to work," Emminger said. "We never said there was a complete shutdown, but there was a slowdown of their work process. That, by Public Employment Relations Board (PERB)'s definition of a strike by a law enforcement agency that not writing tickets falls in that category."
Both Emminger and Thompson said that numerous complaints have been made against the chief of police.
Thompson even mentioned that morale has decreased.
"Since the targeting, since the bullying, since the discipline, since everything has been going on, they don't share the same vision anymore," Thompson said.
"I asked the president of the Police Club to give me something that the chief has committed a fireable offense," Emminger said. "To date, he has been unable to do that."
Emminger said the chief is here to stay.
"When he came on board, the police department was a mess," he said. "He didn't have discipline, he wasn't professional. I gave him orders in this office back in 2019 and told him you need to hold your officers accountable."
