Buffalo police riot squad quit to back officers who shoved man
All 57 officers in the riot squad have now reportedly quit in protest at their two colleagues' suspension.
According to the Buffalo News, the members have quit the Emergency Response Team, but not the police department.
John Evans, president of the local police union, told the newspaper: "Our position is these officers were simply following orders from Deputy Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia to clear the square.
"It doesn't specify clear the square of men, 50 and under or 15 to 40. They were simply doing their job. I don't know how much contact was made. He did slip in my estimation. He fell backwards."
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Friday that the two officers should be fired, and that the incident should be investigated for "possible criminal charges".
In a statement, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said: "We can confirm that contingency plans are in place to maintain police services and ensure public safety within our community."
Bookmarks