In recent decades, cities across the US have dramatically increased their spending on policing, criminalization, and incarceration--often while decreasing funding for community services, infrastructure, and neighborhood priorities. According to one study, many cities allocate 20% to 45% of their discretionary funds to policing. Buffalo fits this trend, with 28% of the City's 2020-2021 $519 million budget allocated to the Buffalo Police Department.

As the call to re-examine police spending grows, this workshop will breakdown the Buffalo Police Department budget and answer these questions:

What's included in the recently adopted 2020-2021 police budget?
How has the Buffalo police budget changed over the last decade?
What has contributed to increased spending? Has staff increased? Have services increased?
What has been the return on investment in policing? Does increased spending relate to performance and outcomes?
In examining the police budget, speakers will also share ideas for how to reallocate funding from policing to community priorities and community-led safety efforts.

Speakers include:

Vanessa Glushefski, Former Acting and Deputy Comptroller for Buffalo, lawyer and accountant;
Brian Borncamp, Budget researcher;
Marielle Smith, Community Organizer at Black Love Resists in the Rust;
Andrea Ó Súilleabháin, Executive Director at Partnership for the Public Good.