Crime in the City of Buffalo is at an all-time low, according to Mayor Byron Brown.
With a 26 percent drop in crime since 2005, Brown said there are many successful initiatives to credit.
Among the more recent, the Mayor pointed to billboard campaigns. A June campaign aimed at supporting an end to gun violence and the possession of illegal firearms, followed by a July roll-out of billboards offering big bucks for tips on homicide cases.
Brown also credited the city’s robust working relationship between police and the community.
“One of the reasons why we funded the Peacemakers organization, so that the Buffalo Police and members of our community could work together on violence prevention initiatives,” said Brown.
Just last month, the Mayor and Police Commissioner Daniel Derenda announced that the success of a series of drug raids in the Lovejoy District of Buffalo led to the collection of a significant stash of illegal weapons. That success was credited to the participation of city residents who called in tips and complaints.
At a press conference on Thursday, intended to promote the Labor Day Peace and Nonviolence Festival at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park, Brown said, “Overall violence is down in the City of Buffalo, but any one act of violence is one too many, and so we must stay vigilant, we must continue to work together to continue to reduce violence and get to the point where violence isn’t occurring in our community at all.”
