Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - It was a move Monday that shocked a number of city lawmakers, as Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon announced that Joseph Gramaglia would no longer serve as Commissioner of the Buffalo Police Department.
Scanlon said Monday in a press briefing that Gramagalia submitted his resignation as Police Commissioner soon after discussions over changes in philosophies and priorities in the Buffalo Police Department going forward.
However, in a statement released Monday evening, Gramaglia said he was informed by Mayor Scanlon of his decision that he was moving in a different direction, and that he was no longer to serve as the Buffalo Police Commissioner.
WBEN learned on Tuesday that rather than returning to his previous rank as police captain, Gramaglia has, instead, filed paperwork to formally retire from the Buffalo Police Department.
Formally taking over as Acting Police Commissioner in the City of Buffalo on Tuesday was Alphonso Wright, a longtime member of the Buffalo Police Department with more than 35 years of experience, and a leader who has climbed the ranks within the department.
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University District Councilman Rasheed Wyatt admits the move came by complete surprise to him, one that he never saw coming when it did.
"I think Commissioner Gramaglia has distinguished himself over the years. When I think about the 5/14 tragedy and how he managed and gave us information, it was exceptional. And I think that, for me, when I'm judging the ability of a commissioner, individual, is through crisis, and he's shown himself to be that individual. He did a fantastic job," said Wyatt in an interview with WBEN. "I think when he's come to the Council, he's been very insightful. We didn't always see eye-to-eye, which I'm OK with, because we were always respectful. But I truly was shocked that we moved from him to a [first] deputy to become commissioner, who I have no issues with, Mr. Wright. I think he's great, he's shown that he's got great leadership skills."
The shock was also felt by Fillmore District Councilman Mitch Nowakowski, who adds the decision caught some flat-footed.
"Commissioner Gramaglia was really a pivot from a few predecessors, where he really engaged the Council members and the public. He explained a lot, you could tell he worked around the clock. He gave, really, a breath of a lot of knowledge, and was pretty assertive with it, too," said Nowakowski with WBEN. "As you know, we work closely with a lot of the issues that happen in our districts every day. Let's face it: We're facing emergencies when it comes to fires, when it comes to store break-ins, and things you seem like that aren't out of your control, and you have to rely on a ton of data and knowledge and information to get that done. We have to rely on the police commissioner for that all the time."
Where Nowakowski felt a bit disappointed was lawmakers and others in city government had to find out about this decision via the press.
However, Nowakowski was quite pleased to learn Monday that Wright was the individual dubbed to take over as police commissioner. He has gotten to know Wright quite well in his years serving in city government.
"I started my career as Fillmore District Council member, and he, Al Wright, was the chief of 'Charlie' District," Nowakowski said. "He's been on the force since the '80s. He knows how our neighborhoods are, he lives in the City of Buffalo. So even though I'm sad to see Commissioner Gramoglia go, I was reassured pretty quickly once Mayor Chris Scanlon told me he wanted to nominate and into advance Al Wright. And the city will be in great position with him being the commissioner."
While Wyatt doesn't know if this decision is going to have a detrimental impact, given Wright's reputation and experience, he is going to miss Gramaglia's leadership and the connection he had established with residents in his community.
Where he is concerned is with the Acting Mayor and his ability to make such a change at this given time.
"You were not elected by the people, you were appointed. So some of these changes I'm concerned about, because you have not been duly elected," Wyatt explained. "I have a question regarding that, but that's probably a question that's not going to get answered before the next mayoral election."
And while Wyatt acknowledges he doesn't know the full context of how everything transpired, he feels as though this decision from Mayor Scanlon may not have been done the right way.
"I don't think anyone in the Council saw there was any issue in the police department, other than overtime, which is a big issue of mine. But as far as performance, all the metrics that we've gotten, have heard, everything is down, crime is down. I just didn't understand how that happened," Wyatt said. "It may not have been done the right way, because, it seems, to me, and I don't have any inside information, but if you're going to do something like that to somebody who has shown they have the heart of the city in mind, when he's done a fantastic job through tragedy - not just doing the job every day, but through tragedy and showing great leadership - I think I'd have been stung too a little bit."
As for Nowakowski, knowing who is taking over as police commissioner, he feels the transition from Gramagalia to Wright will be relatively smooth.
"Everybody brings their own style to things, so if I can stress to our Acting Commissioner, Al Wright, is bring your own style, bring your own purview into it," Nowakowski said. "Change is OK. There's gonna be growing pains, and that's alright, because everyone brings their own style and approach. And I'm looking forward to his."
Nowakowski feels it's important for police commissioners, like Wright, to not just be the best at running a police department, but who can also be front-facing to not just city lawmakers, but also the general public. If all those pieces are in line, Nowakowski believes the morale of the public and fellow officers will be better, because everyone will have a better understanding of what's happening and what's going on in city neighborhoods.
"It's an incredibly tough job," Nowakowski said. "I mean, there's times where I'll do ride-alongs with my own community police officers. It's a tough position when you're trying to find a slumlord, or you have someone that robbed a convenience store, or you have, like, the 'Kia Boys', I was even a victim of one of them. I mean, these are really vexing problems that, whether you like it or not, if someone says, 'Well is it in the grand schemes of things? Is a car break-in important as to a homicide?' You can't compare the two. They're all issues that need to be solved by law enforcement, and they all go into the general morale of the public, if they feel safe and if their calls are being responded to."
What else would Nowakowski like to see in the next police commissioner?
"Even though we do see a reduction in violent crime and we are thrilled for that - we want to work really hard to keep that going, and we have to thank the 700 officers in public safety and a lot of other agencies that help reduce that - but the fact is, as Council members, we hear chronically, every single day about the quality of life in our neighborhoods," he said. "When you have a growing population of folks that are suffering from mental illness on our streets, and you see encampments grow, you see people stealing cars and car break-ins, and people throwing rocks in-between business storefronts, all that stuff really matters. It makes you feel like it's not safe, and then you feel like you're not living in a world of accountability. So an emphasis for the next commissioner will really be on quality of life issues like that. And I can see a lot of those questionings happening in future confirmation hearings."