The Buffalo Police Department has released body camera footage from a Saturday incident in the Chippewa street entertainment district. Earlier this week, a 12-second social media video showed Deputy Police Commissioner Craig Macy pushing a woman to the ground.
In the released video, the incident happens around the 30-second mark. Police Commissioner Erika Shields said the video showed the incident was more complex than the initial social media reports.
“The footage makes it clear that the Deputy Commissioner was leading from the front and responding to an intense physical altercation between multiple individuals, including the woman who was pushed back as she attempted to re-engage with other individuals involved in the altercation,” said Shields.
Macy’s actions have been referred to the Internal Affairs Division for review, said Shields. Her office is working with Mayor Sean Ryan’s administration to review “security measures and policy changes” in the Chippewa entertainment district in an effort to prevent more violence.
Amid the fallout from the incident, local activists are calling for Macy's suspension. On Tuesday, Our City Action Buffalo — a nonprofit that focuses on “confronting systemic inequities” — released a statement calling for Macy to be suspended from duty.
“Commissioner Shields must treat a deputy facing an allegation of misconduct the same way as she would treat any officer facing the same allegation,” OCAB said. “The suspension policy is to protect those who police serve, and it applies to all members of the department equally.”
Nathan Feist serves on the OCAB board. He said that in past incidents, officers facing review were suspended from duty, but there has not yet been a suspension in Macy’s case.
“The police department's refusal to comment on the status of Deputy Commissioner Macy suggests that he has not been suspended,” Feist said. “All we're asking for is the statement saying that he has been suspended pending the result of the investigation.”
