Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) In naming Erika Shields as Buffalo's new police commissioner, Mayor Sean Ryan has broken the long-held glass ceiling in police department's 155-year history.
"We wanted the best candidate to rise to the top and not be restricted by who they are," Ryan said.
Shields is the first person since former Police Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske to head the department, who came from outside the department. Kerlikowske led the Buffalo Police Department for 18 months during then Mayor Tony Masiello's first administration.
"Erika was chosen because she understands how to run modern police departments," Ryan said. "And, I know I'm stepping out on a limb to bring in outsider."
A native of Morris, New York, Shields who first worked as a stockbroker, joined the Atlanta police force in 1995 as a patrol officer.
"She worked her way up," Ryan said.
In December 2016, Shields was named Atlanta police commissioner - a position she held until June 2020.
During her tenure in Atlanta, Shields ran into some controversy when during protests against the murder of George Floyd, she tended to side with the protesters and not the police.
Shields admitted police could "do a better job" and every department needed to "weed out bad cops."
Shields also told Atlanta reporters that "protesters have the right to be upset, to be scared and want to yell."
After leaving Atlanta, Shields was named Louisville police chief, a position she held from January 2021 to January 2023.
Most recently, Shields was chief commercial officer for InVaris LLC, a firm that creates training tools for law enforcement agencies.
Shields said she was recruited by a headhunting firm hired by Buffalo, but she had also heard about the opening and it piqued her interest.
"I wanted to get back to New York (state) and this job certainly appealed to me," Shields said. "To me, Buffalo is a large, major city."
Shields will take over a department with more than 900 employees including more than 700 sworn officers.
To her credit, Shields didn't back away from some of the issues she faced, particularly in Atlanta.
"If you run a major police agency, you are going to have controversies," Shields said. "What you have to do, is work your way through them."
