Officials with the Buffalo Police Department say they are working with the FBI to eliminate bad officers from its ranks. Three more officers were indicted Wednesday for the alleged use of excessive force against four young men in 2009.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Brian Boetig says all the cases against Buffalo Police officers lately are not because of the department's poor leadership. Boetig says they are a result of the strong leadership of Commissioner Daniel Derenda who has the difficult task of changing the department's culture.
"It doesn't happen overnight. And he wouldn't have a minute to spend doing all the other things; addressing the homicides, the robberies and the burglaries and everything else that's happening in town," Boetig said.
"It's an enormous process. It's a difficult process. It's not an easy road. But it's the right road. And that's what the leadership challenge is."
Recently an officer was captured on tape beating a handcuffed man. In another high-profile case, two off-duty officers were working security inside Molly's Pub against state law when a man was critically injured after being thrown down a flight of stairs.
Mayor Byron Brown disagrees with critics who claim the Buffalo Police Department has run amuck.
"In fact, the public is aware of some of these issues of police misconduct because the city police department has identified them...and in some cases terminated officers and turned information over to other agencies for prosecution," Brown said.
Boetig says more information will be announced soon about a new program that will allow the FBI and BPD to collaborate better to identify problems within the department.