By Mark Scott
Albany, NY – U.S. Senator Charles Schumer unveiled the results of a survey Wednesday on how much local governments are paying for security in the post 9/11 era.
Schumer says he reached out to municipal officials in the state's largest upstate cities to find out how much they've had to pay out for heightened security measures. He says Buffalo has incurred more than $465,000 in security costs since September 11th, including more than $200,000 for police overtime.
As Congress debates how to spend a proposed $3.5 billion on anti-terrorism efforts nationwide, Schumer says some of that money should be used to help the state's cash-strapped cities.
He says the federal government needs to shoulder security expenses so that local governments have the resources they need for schools and other local priorities.