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Improving safety, life in the Heights
UB has purchased bicycles for use by Buffalo and university police officers, and is providing specialized bike patrol training to all officers.
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Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown and UB President John B. Simpson today announced new collaborative initiatives to improve safety, deter crime and enhance the quality of life in University Heights.
Starting Aug. 27, the Buffalo Police Department and University Police will run joint patrols along Main Street in Buffalo on Thursday through Saturday nights. Officers from the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority also will join the patrols.
In addition, UB has purchased two new security cameras for the city. They have been installed on Main Street at the corners of Englewood and LaSalle avenues. These cameras are in addition to the three cameras purchased by UB for the Buffalo Police Department in the fall of 2008.
UB also has purchased Segway Personal Transporters and bicycles for use by Buffalo and UB police officers, which will enhance the community policing efforts of both departments. Bike and Segway patrols permit officers to be highly visible and are effective in patrolling defined areas with large groups of people. UB is providing specialized bike patrol training to all officers.
The City of Buffalo, Brown said, will be more aggressive on housing code enforcement in the neighborhood to improve the safety and upkeep of problem properties in University Heights.
“These new initiatives demonstrate the seriousness of the city’s and the university’s joint commitment to enhancing quality of life in University Heights, one of Buffalo’s many great neighborhoods,” Brown said. “Working together, we will strengthen and enhance our use of best practices shown to improve communities, deter crime and safeguard citizens’ property and well being.”
Simpson said the new initiatives are an example of UB’s continued commitment to working in partnership with its neighbors to improve the quality of life near its campuses. The UB Division of Student Affairs again will deliver at the beginning of the fall semester information kits to all students and community members who reside in University Heights. The kits will highlight safety reminders and tips for students on how to be good neighbors and provide community members with contacts for UB's Office of Off-Campus Student Services and the Mayor's Call and Resolution Center if there are safety or behavior issues to be addressed.
“UB prides itself on being a good community citizen, dedicated to the greater good of our communities,” Simpson said. “Safety, peace and mutual respect among neighbors are essential ingredients of any good neighborhood. Working with Mayor Brown and the Buffalo Police Department, UB will help preserve those ideals for all residents of University Heights.”
Although statistics show a decrease in overall crime in University Heights, Brown and Simpson said the new collaborative measures are necessary to further reduce the incidence of crime and nuisances—such as loud parties—in the neighborhood.
As part of the City of Buffalo-UB effort, the Buffalo Police Department will increase the presence of daily patrols in the neighborhood and will focus its Mobile Response Unit on pockets of criminal activity in the neighborhood.
Reader Comments
Steve Resident says:
I agree with Nicholas. I live on the east side of Eggert Rd and have noticed the criminal elements that he mentions making their way into my neighborhood in the past two years. We've noticed folks crossing Eggert (yes, we saw them crossing) and casing houses, going through back yards, stealing from resident's sheds, etc. They've also gone through people's cars in their driveways and stolen items from them. If the problems in the heights continue to expand into other neighborhoods it could cause folks to begin moving out.
Posted by Steve Resident, Resident, 08/07/09
Rohit Reddy says:
Finally, UB is getting it right. Like Nicholas said, those are the problem areas in the Heights. Bike patrolling might work but it's encouraging to know that the Police department finally realized how crucial the health of that community is for the surrounding communities of UB south. Higher vigilance in those neighborhoods should work like a 200 decibel alarm. Some cleaning work could help the house owners tremendously. Use the tax dollars and clean up...or am I crazy?.
Posted by Rohit Reddy, Mr., 08/02/09
Nicholas Mason says:
Putting more police on bikes/Segways is a good start - depending on where they patrol. As a former resident of the Heights for 5 years prior to this one (having lived on Winspear and Northrup) I can attest to the sketchiness of some parts of the Heights. The areas that both the Buffalo PD and the UB PD MUST focus on are the eastern sections of Winspear, Highgate, LaSalle, Minnesota, and ALL of Parkridge - basically the sections of these streets that intersect Bailey Ave and the only street that runs parallel to it. Much of the crime that filters down to Main Street (where it sounds like much of the patrolling will be done) is due to the criminal element filtering down from Bailey. Having lived there for so long I have no doubt about that - there's certainly a reason why all of the storefronts on Bailey near the University Heights all have bars on their windows or that the cashier's station in the Mobil on the corner of Winspear and Bailey is surrounded completely behind what I assume is bulletproof glass - it is a 'bad' and dangerous neighborhood. And because Parkridge as the only cross-street between and parallel to Main and Bailey, it is the main lifeline for crossing between any of the above listed streets on foot for said criminals. Patrol THOSE streets, and I think that we'll find the crime rate reduce drastically in the Heights. (Loud house parties should be the least of their concerns.)
Posted by Nicholas Mason, Administrative Assistant, 07/31/09