Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - After less than three years serving the City of Buffalo as Police Commissioner, Joseph Gramaglia has submitted his resignation, and has submitted paperwork to retire from the department.
Buffalo's Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon says Gramagalia submitted his resignation as Police Commissioner soon after discussions over philosophies relating to the future of the Buffalo Police Department.
"The commissioner has been extremely focused on the violent crime situation. The city of Buffalo did a great job with it, and we will continue to focus on that, but we need to make an emphasis on our nuisance crimes as well. We need to make sure that we're paying attention to the quality of life and how some of these crimes are impacting quality of life throughout our neighborhoods, with our residents, with our small businesses," Scanlon shared.
Scanlon further announced Monday that First Deputy Commissioner Alphonso Wright will assume the role as Buffalo Police Commissioner effective Tuesday.
"The Commissioner and I have worked together closely for nearly for a decade or more now, and I just can't speak more highly of Deputy Commissioner Wright. I think that his philosophies, when it comes to policing, the priorities he has when it comes to policing, align very closely with mine. So I look forward to the future and the confirmation process with the Buffalo Common Council after submitting Deputy Commissioner Wright's name to them for full confirmation," stated Scanlon.
Wright joined the BPD in 1988 as a patrol officer where he was given special assignments, including gang violence and quality of life issues. He is credited as being one of the department's first Community Police Officers.
In 2014, Wright was promoted to Lieutenant, Captain in 2016, District Chief in 2018, and 1st Deputy Police Commissioner of Operations in 2022.
Wright was also instrumental in the creation of the Law Enforcement Enrichment Program, where the city's youth was brought together with officers and college students for mentoring, education, and developmental opportunities.
Gramaglia was first appointed Buffalo Police Commissioner in February 2022, one day after longtime Police Commissioner Byron Lockwood retired after a long career in the police department.
A nearly 28-year veteran of the Buffalo Police Department, Gramagalia first joined the department in 1996 and rose through the ranks, serving as an officer, lieutenant, captain and chief of B District. In 2018, Former Mayor Byron Brown appointed Gramaglia as deputy commissioner, where he supervised day-to-day operations, and also was the liaison for homeland security.
During his tenure as Police Commissioner in Buffalo, Gramaglia was one of the prominent figures in the days, weeks and months following the racially motivated mass shooting at the Tops Friendly Market on Jefferson Avenue on May 14, 2022.
After it was originally stated that Gramaglia was planning to return to the rank of captain, WBEN learned on Tuesday that he has actually filed paperwork to retire from the Buffalo Police Department.
WBEN received the following statement from Gramaglia on Monday:
"This morning, I was informed by Acting Mayor Scanlon of his decision that he was moving in a different direction and that I would no longer be serving as the Buffalo Police Commissioner. It has been an honor of a lifetime to serve the residents of the City of Buffalo and to work alongside the incredible women and men who make up the Buffalo Police Department.
"Public safety has always been my top priority. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the members of the department, in close collaboration with the community, we achieved historic reductions in violent crime and shootings – levels not seen in decades in Buffalo.
"I am deeply grateful to Mayor Byron Brown for providing me with this opportunity and to the many law enforcement partners who work collaboratively to make our great City of Buffalo as safe as possible.
"And on a personal note, I want to thank all the members of the department and their families for all of their unwavering commitment, professionalism and sacrifice. Your efforts continue to make a meaningful difference in our community each and every day."