ALFRED, N.Y. (WKBW) — The police chief of the Village of Alfred was put on suspension – and the people who live in the quaint college town in Allegany County want to know why.
“We really don't know what's going on,” said Len Curran, who owns a hair salon on North Main Street.
“It was a surprise to all of us told us what's going on with the chief,” said John Gill, a ceramics artist.
Chief Paul Griffith, who has worked at the village police department for 26 years and has been chief for the last 10, has a lot of questions too.
“I was kind of bewildered and racking my brain like, you know, what did I actually do?”
He hired Rochester-based attorney Maureen Bass to help him get answers.
“How did you one day, be the respected loved chief of the village and then the next day, not be?” Bass questioned.
Griffith and Bass say that the trouble seemed to begin after Griffith recommended a young man who was a veteran and had just completed the first phase of police academy to be hired as a part-time officer of the department.
There are five full-time officers in the Village of Alfred Police Department and Griffith tries to have 10 part-time officers. At the moment, there are only five so he was eager to hire new ones.
“Chief Griffith was particularly excited about this candidate because he would have been the first African American to join the police department,” Bass said.
On Aug. 14, the village board held a special meeting and voted against offering a job offer to the candidate.
7 News is not using the candidate’s name or his face because it could jeopardize future employment opportunities.
Griffith was surprised and upset about the decision.
“I've never had an issue. I've hired, I think around 19 people since I've been chief because we have a lot of part time that come and go. And I've never had any questions from the board other than maybe where they're from.”
But that wasn’t the end of it.
Five days later, Griffith was handed a “performance improvement plan” – something he has never had to do before. The plan included requiring him to patrol for an hour and a half every day and writing up his interactions with people in the village.
Then on August 23, he was suspended – put on paid administrative leave. He was not given a reason.
“It made my blood run cold. I've never had anybody do that to me before,” Griffith said.
“We're left to guess: what could a 27-year-police chief have done that's so bad, so wrong that he would be treated like this?” Bass questioned.
The Wellsville Sun first reported on the development.
7 News interviewed the candidate.
He’s served as a military police officer for eight years, including in Syria. He recently completed the first phase of the police academy and was looking for a job in a civilian police department.
“I thought I was a good fit for that, for that department,” he told 7 News. “If I was the first Black person there kudos to me, I guess. You know, I'm not there to be looked at as like the first black American.”
He was upset when he learned that he would not get the job.
“I've done a lot for this country and to come home and have this stuff done…. It hurt me. It hurt me bad.”
He hopes that the village will lift the suspension on the chief and change their mind about offering him the job.
“At the end of the day, law enforcement, you know, the main goal is, protect and serving. Catch the bad guy. That’s all I want to do.”
Alfred Village Mayor Jim Ninos said that an investigation is underway related to a “personnel matter” and close to being wrapped up.
He confirmed that a “staff member” was on paid administrative leave.
