Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) "What we're doing in my administration is continuously looking to get better, continuously looking to improve," said Chris Scanlon. "I thought it was better to take the department in a different direction."
The Acting Mayor was a guest on WBEN Wednesday.
Scanlon likened the move of changing police leadership to what often happens in professional sports.
"You see teams go to the playoffs, and then remove a coach in an effort to get better. No one would say the Buffalo Police Department is a finished product," he explained.
He maintains that Deputy Commissioner Al Wright is the person to take the department to the next level.
One council member who was puzzled by the move is David Rivera of the Niagara District.
Rivera told WBEN that Scanlon had opportunities to speak out about the police department, but never once mentioned 'that the police department needed to go in a different direction.
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Scanlon disagreed.
"When it comes to police oversight committee meetings, you can go back and watch video and I've been very critical of the department at times. As far as Rivera chairing the meetings, I would ask when was the last Police Oversight Committee meeting held? It's tough to reference something when those meetings haven't been held in quite some time."
As far as a new direction for the department, Scanlon said he wants a strong focus on community policing.
"I want to see officers walking our commercial corridors and interacting with our residents because far too often, a resident's first engagement with a police officer is a negative one. I want to change that." he said.
Shouldn't the priority be both quality of life issues and violent crime?
"Yes, and it will be," answered Scanlon. "It has to be both. That's the point of the conversation I had [with Gramaglia] Ultimately I decided to take the department in a different direction."