Erie County Sheriff candidate Kim Beaty, surrounded by law enforcement colleagues, today addressed the baseless attack ad produced by the Garcia Campaign which was designed to allude that if elected Sheriff, Kim Beaty would institute policies to slash police funding and make our county less safe. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Guy Zagara, a retired Buffalo Police Captain who served under then Chief Beaty in Buffalo’s E District—at the time the most difficult district in the city—set the record straight on the leadership of his former commanding officer, saying “I know Kim. I worked under Kim. Kim was my Chief when I was a Captain in the Buffalo Police Department. Kim always advocated for more officers for her district, more manpower for every shift, and more resources for our department.
Zagara added, “During her 35 years in law enforcement she has continued to stand up for the men and women under her command, including at the Buffalo Police Department, and as a decision-maker who managed and continues to manage a police force, the proof is in her record.
“John Garcia’s ad is a nasty lie. I call on him to stop lying to the voters of Erie county and take the ad down. A sheriff who is willing to lie to the public for personal gain does not deserve the trust of the people of Erie county.”
“There is a crisis right now in the Erie County Sheriff’s Office. Our deputies are overworked, our jails are understaffed and our equipment and facilities are in dire need of modernization. This is the result of 16 years of mismanagement and absenteeism.” said Kim Beaty, “It’s time for new leadership.”
“As Deputy Police Commissioner, I managed an annual budget of over $100 million and oversaw over 800 personnel. As Director of Public Safety, I currently manage a law enforcement agency. I am the only candidate for sheriff who can manage the scale of the Erie County Sheriff’s Office. It is irresponsible to hand over the reins to someone without experience because there are lives on the line.
“We must put a stop to the millions in taxpayer dollars that are being spent settling lawsuits and in mandatory overtime. This starts with making sure that the Sheriff’s Office is properly staffed. I plan to immediately start an aggressive recruitment campaign from within our community to fill our ranks.
“If there is anyone who has advocated for ‘defunding the police’, it’s the people responsible for the status quo. Sheriff Howard continues to privatize police work and outsource vital security services to private firms such as the one owned by John Garcia
“716 Security Investigations and its subsidiaries Gallivan, Donovan, and Yarnell (GDY) and Employee Benefit Concepts (EBC) have benefited from almost $300,000 in contracts with Erie County alone since 2015, for work that should be done by union police officers. It’s not about wanting to better the Sheriff’s Office for our community or for the rank-and-file deputies. It’s about money.
“As Sheriff, I will put an end to the nonsense. I will aggressively root out corruption and end conflicts of interest and self-dealing. I will immediately review how our budget is being spent and all existing contracts between the Sheriff’s Office and our partners. The taxpayers deserve it and the dedicated men and women of the Erie County Sheriff’s Office deserve it.”
