Latest news with #TownofTonawandaPoliceClub
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Yahoo
Town of Tonawanda police officers receive fines for alleged strike
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — More than half of the Town of Tonawanda's police force returned from shifts this week to find letters of fines from Town Supervisor Joe Emminger. The fines, officials said, stem from the officers' alleged participation in what is being described by town leadership as an 'illegal ticketing strike.' A total of 44 officers received letters outlining the financial penalties, which the town claims are necessary in response to the alleged 15-day work slowdown. According to the letters, officers will be fined the equivalent of two hours of pay for each day they participated — which could amount to hundreds of dollars per officer. 'Our officers probably average about $50 an hour,' said Emminger. 'So multiply that by two, times the number of days they participated — this adds up.' The fines will be deducted gradually from the officers' paychecks over the coming months. While town officials defended the action as a necessary step toward resolving ongoing tensions, the Town of Tonawanda Police Club has strongly pushed back. Though declining an on-camera interview, Police Club President Andy Thompson released a statement accusing the town of unfair treatment. 'The town is on a witch hunt to persecute its own police force — paid for by you, the taxpayers,' Thompson said. He also said that during the period in question, officers continued responding to a 40% increase in calls during severe winter weather, along with many regular patrol officers temporarily unavailable due to mandatory training — leaving fewer officers available to write tickets. Emminger acknowledged the training, but noted that probationary officers continued issuing citations throughout the three-week period. Adding fuel to the controversy, Thompson claimed that Emminger himself was not honest about Thompson's ticketing record — alleging that despite making a DUI arrest and issuing citations on February 1, he is still facing charges related to that day. Emminger responded: 'A lot of those DWIs, from what I'm told, were called in by other parties. They did not initiate any tickets they didn't have to.' The letters and looming fines have only deepened the rift between town leadership and the police union. Emminger emphasized the need for dialogue and the need to resolve the issue quickly. 'Eventually, we've got to get to where we are sitting down across the table from each other, and there must be some give and take on both sides,' said Emminger. Officers have 20 days to appeal the fines, and Emminger expects that most, if not all, will pursue that route. Dillon Morello is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has been part of the News 4 team since September of 2023. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Yahoo
Town of Tonawanda releases findings on alleged police strike
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Town of Tonawanda has released information supporting its allegations of an alleged ticket strike from police officers that began in mid-January. Officials believe the alleged strike was a response from the police union after an officer, who has since resigned, was disciplined. The Town of Tonawanda said that the alleged strike began on Jan. 15 and continued through Feb. 5. The town said that its findings did not come from any type of ticket quota, but through a significant dip in tickets throughout that time period. The town said that 123 tickets were issued throughout the alleged strike. In previous years over the same period of time, the town said ticket totals were much higher: 557 (2024), 653 (2023), 439 (2022), and 505 (2021). The town also said that probationary officers — who it alleges were advised not to participate in the strike — wrote the vast majority of tickets throughout this period of time. It said six probationary officers wrote an average of .89 tickets per day (71 tickets) compared to .14 tickets per day from 48 non-probationary officers (52 tickets). The town also alleges that Town of Tonawanda Police Club President Andy Thompson wrote zero tickets throughout the period of the alleged strike. The town said it was aware of the alleged strike on Jan. 29 and advised the police club to stop the strike, but that it did not end until Feb. 5. On Monday, the Town of Tonawanda Board voted unanimously to hire a law firm to bring charges against the police union. The town believes it violated the state's Taylor Law as part of the alleged strike. *** Mark Ludwiczak joined the News 4 team in 2024. He is a veteran journalist with two decades of experience in Buffalo. You can follow him online at @marklud12. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Yahoo
Town of Tonawanda Board unanimously votes to take legal action against police union
KENMORE, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Town of Tonawanda Board unanimously voted Monday night to hire a law firm to bring charges against the police union, known as the Town of Tonawanda Police Club, following its allegations of police officers participating in an illegal strike that started last month. The board is alleging that the town's police officers ignored violations or wrote fewer tickets as part of an three-week strike, which it said violated the state's Taylor Law. Members of the union, who were present at the meeting, said the accusations are baseless. 'How can our members go to work every day and focus on fighting crime when our employers don't have our back?' said Phil McDonald, the vice president of the Town of Tonawanda Police Club. According to Town Supervisor Joe Emminger, the strike began in mid-January. 'Our preliminary investigation did show that they were numerous officers who had not written any tickets over a three-week period,' Emminger said. Over 100 people attended the board meeting in solidarity with the police union, including members of unions from the Erie and Niagara County Sheriffs, Buffalo, Amherst, the city of Tonawanda and Lockport. 'Over the three-week period of the alleged strike, police officers conducted the following: Seven DWI arrests were made, 162 parking tickets were issued and 166 traffic tickets were issued,' McDonald said. Officials believe the job action was the police union's response to an officer being disciplined in mid-January. That officer has since resigned. The town said state law requires them to investigate and file a report within 60 days of the job action. 'What happens if somebody T-bones a car during this work stoppage to slow down the strike and an attorney finds out that our police haven't been writing tickets for the last three weeks?' Emminger said. The town alleged during that three-week period, over 50 percent of the police force issued zero tickets combined. If proven true, Emminger said any officer who participated in the strike, along with the union, could face financial penalties, adding the alleged strike is over and officers are back to status quo. 'The question that should now be asked of the chief is, 'Does the police department have a ticket quota?'' McDonald said. 'There is no quota as we based the proof of our preliminary investigation on what was done in prior years,' Emminger said. 'The numbers are significantly lower significantly lower, like 90 percent lower.' At one point, the meeting lost control, with some screaming above the crowd and calling on town leaders to resign. A few attendees were asked to leave. Once the vote was made, everyone in support of the police filed out of the meeting immediately. The union said this was done in retaliation after its president exposed bullying and mismanagement from higher ups in the department. Emminger said the next steps are for an official investigative report to be released within the next 60 days. Dillon Morello is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has been part of the News 4 team since September of 2023. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
