Buffalo Police's Strike Force is earning praise. The city tried the strike force idea twice last year and saw sharp drops in crime; this year it's been made permanent.
The idea is to take areas with crime problems and flood that community or neighborhood with officers. They in turn are highly visible, arresting suspects, conducting roadside stops and collecting criminal intelligence for future use.
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown says it's a "collaborative partnership between the Buffalo Police Department, the New York State Police and the Erie County Sheriff's Department.
"As you know, Strike Force was initiated last year as a pilot project. It was incredibly successful, producing tremendous results in terms of helping to reduce crime."
Police Commissioner Daniel Derenda says the mayor has been willing to spend millions of dollars on overtime to get officers on the street, producing a continuing drop in crime.
With deputy sheriffs, the FBI and State Police Troopers working with the Strike Force, gathered crime intelligence has been used for investigations well outside the city, even outside of the county.
