BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The City of Buffalo has reached a new agreement with its police union that will activate dash cameras in patrol cars for the first time and extend health benefits for officers, addressing concerns about a wave of retirements that has thinned the department's ranks.
The deal comes just days before Mayor-elect Sean Ryan takes office, though Police Union President John Davidson said the timing is not political. He said the agreement strikes a balance between public safety, officer retention and city oversight.
The agreement will extend officer health care benefits until the end of 2029.
"I don't believe it came too late, it came very close to being too late," Davidson said.
Under the agreement, hundreds of patrol car dash cameras that had already been installed will now be activated, giving the city the ability to turn them on.
The deal also makes tasers mandatory equipment for officers, whereas they had previously been voluntary, and includes a 7-year residency clause for officers.
WATCH: Buffalo police to activate dash cameras, extend health benefits under new agreement
The agreement addresses concerns first reported earlier this fall about a potential mass retirement of senior officers. Since then, more than two dozen senior officers have already left the department.
"We are already far over the number of retirees we had last year and the previous two or three years," Davidson said.
The departures come at a time when the city says crime rates are down, but the police department remains short-staffed, driving up overtime costs.
Davidson said the agreement will also restructure which staff members respond to SWAT situations. The department currently pulls patrol officers that are part of the SWAT team from their regular divisions to work these calls; however, many are senior officers. Davidson explained that this leads to a significant amount of overtime, which he believes will be reduced.
Records show the department spent more than $18.5 million on overtime last fiscal year.
"This is a scenario where the PBA, bosses in the police department, and the City of Buffalo via the mayor's office worked together, that I think everyone is coming out of this in a better place," Davidson said.
While the new agreement runs until the end of 2029, it's not a new police contract. Officers are still working without one, and contract negotiations will fall to the next administration.
