BUFFALO POLICE BUDGET 101
As the call to re-examine police spending grows, this workshop breaks down the Buffalo Police Department budget and answers 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 also share ideas for how to reallocate funding from policing to community priorities and community-led safety efforts.

REDEFINING SAFETY & EXPLORING ALTERNATIVES TO POLICING
As the national conversation grows around decreasing funding for police departments, some cities and groups are advocating for community-led safety and exploring alternatives to policing.

We hear from Black Love Resists in the Rust (BLRR) as they discuss their work to create awareness about what “safety” means and to whom, and their tactical methods and community-based solutions outside a typical policing framework.

Right here in Buffalo, BLRR has been creating a “community safety zone” through asset-based community building at the neighborhood level and community agreements on safety and police intervention.

We explore alternatives to policing already in use in Buffalo and other cities, and ask how these can be expanded as efforts to reduce policing advance across the country.