BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN).....The good news to Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan and Police Commissioner Erika Shields is that key violent crime statistics are down from years past.
The bad news is that crime continues.
"Policing never stops," Ryan said.
The good news:
* Since Jan. 1 and through Aug. 21 -- the Buffalo Police have made 282 gun-related arrests and seized 437 firearms.
* There have been 71 reported shootings, a 46% drop from the city's 10-year average and a nearly 15% decrease in the past three years.
* Buffalo police have investigated 14 homicides, 10 of which were from gun shots. That's a 59% drop from the ten-year Buffalo average.
* Overall violent crime is down 8% from last year
* Burglary reports are down 20% and rape reports have decreased by 50%
"These results don't just happen by accident," Ryan said.
Shields credits her 850-member police force.
And, while the results are impressive, Shields says every seized firearm usually comes from being attached to a homicide or another serious crime.
"One homicide is one homicide too many," Shields said. "The Buffalo police will not back down. Criminality will not drive the narrative of the city."
BPD Commish Shields and Mayor Ryan vow to take more guns off the street
BPD Commish Shields and Mayor Ryan vow to take more guns off the street
