Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Congressman Nick Langworthy was in Buffalo on Thursday, joined alongside Erie County Sheriff John Garcia to discuss a number of pressing public safety issues for not just law enforcement across Western New York, but also for lawmakers across the nation.
Among the issues of concern that face Western New York include bail reform in New York State, the increase in illegal border activity both at the Southern and Northern borders, as well as a need to be better prepared for when natural disasters like Winter Storm Elliott cripple the region.
"We can't put a price on saving lives. So when the Congressman called and said, 'What can we do for you?', it really is refreshing to have that support from our federal partners," said Sheriff Garcia during a press conference Thursday. "There's limited dollars here in the County. Another point I wanted to make is that we continue to work with everyone, be it in the County, State and Federal [level] to make sure that we take care of our public. That is our mission."
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Since taking office representing New York's 23rd Congressional District, Rep. Langworthy has made an effort to show solidarity with law enforcement any way he possibly can.
"This is a sprawling seven-County district, and we're visiting with law enforcement partners. That's what it is. It's a partnership, as I represent this community in the federal government, working with our partners on the ground, because they see the changes in a community, what's going on first-and-foremost," said Langworthy on Thursday. "They're on the frontlines every single day, they're dealing with the crises this is communities facing before a lot of people in the public or the media figure out what's really going on. So I want to show my intense gratitude, my support for the men and women in uniform."
When it comes to bail reform, Langworthy was very outspoken against the way New York is handling it, especially when it comes to the way it has held up the finalization of the state budget in Albany.
"Never in my lifetime would I think we'd live in a system where the criminals seem to have more rights than victims. Where our law enforcement heroes, they're treated like criminals, while criminals walk out the front door of the jail with a free pass. That's exactly what's happened with the bail and discovery laws in the State of New York that desperately need to be fixed in this budget process in Albany," he said. "I've stood here far too many times talking to the local media about the horrific real life impact of these asinine, radical policies. Blood has been shed right here in Western New York, families have been shattered.
"The Governor and the lawmakers, they sit in Albany day-after-day, and they refuse to act. They have the power to act, they have the votes to act. The fact they are now nearly two weeks late on the budget because they simply can't agree that judges, elected to make decisions, should have the discretion to keep violent criminals behind bars. It's mind blowing. It's unacceptable, and the public should be outraged that this very simple decision can't be made. How many more lives need to be destroyed before they do something about it. I'm just sick of standing here, and I know the Sheriff is too, saying the same thing over-and-over-and over."
When it comes to the borders, the fentanyl crisis continues across the U.S. with little-to-no help coming to resolve the matter. Langworthy feels it is very important going forward to secure the borders of the nation, including the crossing points between the U.S. and Canada in Western New York.
"There isn't enough Narcan or manpower in the world to fix this problem once the drugs are actually here. We have to go to the root, and that means securing the border," Langworthy said. "It's easy for people to think this is a far away problem. This is about Mexico, Texas, Arizona and California. It's not. Every state in America is now a border state because of this fentanyl crisis. It's here.
"Cartels are smart, they're a business, their big business. They're taking advantage of our policies, they know that we have no border security in this country, and they're going to take full advantage of it. We're a border community right here, multiple crossings. But the whole entirety of the Northern border is the largest unsecured border in the world. That's why several colleagues and I have formed a Northern Border Security Caucus to bring attention to that growing problem, before it starts to be the infernal that the Southern border is. We don't have enough border patrol officers or resources to deal with it, and if I've said it once I've said it a million times, if we don't have a border, we don't have a country. And we have to protect America."
As for disaster preparedness for Western New York, Rep. Langworthy wants to ensure local law enforcement officers have the necessary resources to do their jobs and respond to an emergency like Winter Storm Elliott.
"It was a horrific, once in a generation storm that stole the lives of nearly 50 of our fellow community members. It took a Herculean response from first responders, who, again, left their families on Christmas, to go out into very dangerous conditions, put their own lives on the line, and we're eternally grateful," Langworthy said. "I was very proud to work, in a bipartisan fashion, with my colleague Congressman [Brian] Higgins, Gov. [Kathy] Hochul, Senator [Chuck] Schumer, Senator [Kirsten] Gillibrand to secure a Major Disaster Declaration from FEMA, allowing the bills to be paid by the federal government for this storm. It wasn't anything that was guaranteed, because there's carve outs for snow, and it was not our greatest snowfall of the year. So we really had to put added leverage. added pressure to get this done."
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Meanwhile, the Erie County Sheriff's Office was able to recently obtain two new all-weather vehicles that were a pivotal part of rescue and recovery efforts during the Christmas Weekend Blizzard in Buffalo.
However, Sheriff Garcia points out another need for the Sheriff's Office to help with emergency response efforts in the region going forward. That's the acquisition of a new helicopter to pair with the 22-year-old Air One helicopter already in use.
"Our helicopter is 22-years-old, it's a single engine helicopter. We're blessed to have three trained pilots in an agency our size, it's unheard of. But we can't get it up there enough times for it to be, really, the tool that is necessary," Garcia said.
Garcia says Air One is a regional resource that isn't available in much of the region, especially with the upcoming boating season along Lake Erie and the Niagara River with 90 miles of coastline to watch over.
So how has the Erie County Sheriff's Office gone about trying to acquire a new helicopter for the force?
"We've taken a look at several programs, and we've looked at leasing. We've looked at every option possible. We are going to be fiscally prudent and responsible, we're looking for funding from our federal partners, our state partners, and military surplus," Garcia said. "As we know, the military changes equipment more often than not, so we are more than happy to take a twin-engine helicopter off their hands, as other counties throughout this country have. In doing the assessment of this office when I came into office, I right away saw that. How could I put up three trained officers that are husbands fathers, sons, up in a helicopter, save lives when I don't feel very comfortable with them up there? So we need one. It's going to save lives, it has saved lives."
More from Thursday's press conference is available in the player below: