Talk of merging the Buffalo Police Department with the Erie County Sheriff's Department has gained steam recently, to the point where Erie County Executive, Joel A. Giambra, implied in a Nov. 14 issue of the Buffalo News that the consolidation is a foregone conclusion. Before Buffalo and Erie County officials get ahead of themselves, there are pressing issues that need to be addressed, lest they risk irresponsibly depleting suburban police forces and threatening union benefits.
The goal of the merger is to increase efficiency in managerial organization, but its cost-effectiveness is questionable. Similar projects have produced positive results in cities such as Charlotte, N.C., and Jacksonville, Fla., where long-term financial efficiency has been boosted through mergers. The difference is simply that those consolidations were part of greater regionalizing projects, not limited to a focus on law-enforcement.
Regionalism worked in those cities, but in this particular example, it is not enough to save Buffalo. While the Buffalo police undoubtedly need more officers - police that they cannot afford to hire - the answer is not to use county resources and county police. Other communities in Erie County rely partially or solely on the sheriff for law-enforcement, and adding a massive layer of bureaucracy and a grossly under-funded, understaffed police department to the mix could only result in a depleted police presence in Erie County's smaller municipalities.
The effect on the towns in Erie County could be terrible, particularly for communities like Elma, whose entire law enforcement is provided by the county. They would certainly suffer if sheriff's deputies were siphoned off to serve in Buffalo. In addition, towns such as Amherst, who have their own police forces, most likely will not be interested in paying for the policing of other municipalities. With budgetary deficits on the horizon for many localities, money is increasingly scarce. As balm, Mayor Anthony M. Masiello voiced hope for increased state aid for his police force, but it is never safe to rely on Albany for funding that should be coming from the city itself.
If this plan is put into action, the county and city must meticulously set jurisdictional boundaries and guidelines, so towns like Elma are not left out and areas like Buffalo's East Side are not left unprotected. Roles and priorities are necessary for a broadened Erie County Sheriff's Department to be a success. This would be a merger of two very different organizations, both of whom are committed to doing their jobs, but have separate training regimens, beats and institutional goals.
Essentially, this proposal is a band-aid covering up a gaping fiscal wound in local law enforcement. With pay scale and benefit packages yet to be negotiated between the Buffalo Police Department (as well as the potentially new Sheriff's Department employees) and the county, union litigation is not out of the question. In the grand scheme of the plan, union difficulties are seen as minor in comparison to the fact that the only real change will be different decals on the police cruisers.
Erie County has to remember there is more than just itself and Buffalo to be concerned about. Other municipalities should not have to carry the brunt of the impact that broader funding would entail. Consolidating the law-enforcement hierarchy under one administration is just avoiding the fact that the Buffalo Police Department needs more and better trained officers. To achieve this, mismanagement must be eliminated.
Throwing suburban money at a fundamentally flawed system will only propagate the flaws. The administrative officials of the Buffalo Police have to recognize where to cut misappropriated money instead of relying on a suburban handout.
