Amherst Police cuts drew little protest

AMHERST, N.Y. (WIVB) - The Amherst Police Department could take a financial hit next year if proposed cuts to the force are passed in the town's 2013 budget.

Though officers are decrying the proposed budget, town residents must really like that it doesn't raise taxes, because none of them came out Monday night to speak out against cuts to the police department and youth programs.

Under Supervisor Dr. Barry Weinstein's proposed budget, Amherst youth programs would receive around $36,000 less.

"These are youth programs that were supported by the State of New York. The State of New York saw fit to withdraw the money," Dr. Weinstein explained.

Amherst Recreation Commissioner Chris Drongosky countered, "Well, I'm not happy with it. These programs are valuable to the town. There's a lot of people that need these and utilize these programs."

But at Monday night's budget hearing, no residents spoke out for or against cuts to police.

Asst. Police Chief Charles Cohen said, "I'm not sure if people are aware of the severity of the situation. I'm doing my best to get the message out there through the previous budget meeting and the media."

Cohen says the proposed cuts to the force trim's the department's ability to buy new police cruisers.

Dr. Weinstein contended, "I asked them if any of the police vehicles could go another year, which is a very reasonable request."

The budget might also make it difficult to maintain the current staffing level of 153 officers.

"Calls for service are up every year. They continue to build these large commercial developments, student housing is exploding around the university, if economic times were better, we'd be asking for more men," Asst. Chief Cohen noted.

How does the staffing levels in Amherst compare to other jurisdictions? Per 1,000 residents, Amherst has 1.3 police officers. Cheektowaga had the same amount, Orchard Park had one officer per 1,000, while Buffalo had three per 1,000.

Though there seemed to be little concern among residents about the cuts, two board members told News 4 Monday night they would likely be drafting amendments to restore or partially restore some of those cuts.