Changes at City Hall: Gramaglia Resigns as BPD Commissioner

After serving as commissioner of the Buffalo Police Department for more than two years, Joseph Gramaglia has resigned his position effective midnight Monday.  

A decorated officer, he served as a member of the Buffalo Police Department for more than 25 years, becoming deputy commissioner in 2018 before being promoted to commissioner by former Mayor Byron Brown in 2022.  

In a statement Monday evening, Gramaglia says he was informed Monday morning by Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon that Scanlon would be “moving in a different direction and that I would no longer be serving as the Buffalo Police Commissioner. It has been an honor of a lifetime to serve the residents of the city of Buffalo and to work alongside the incredible women and men who make up the Buffalo Police Department.” Gramglia will remain with the department as a captain.  

Gramaglia added that he is proud of what’s been accomplished during his tenure, including “historic reductions in violent crimes and shootings — levels not seen in decades in Buffalo. I am deeply grateful to Mayor Byron Brown for providing me with this opportunity and to the many law enforcement partners who work collaboratively to make our great city of Buffalo as safe as possible.” 

Scanlon announced Monday afternoon that First Deputy Police Commissioner Alphonso Wright will take over the position of acting commissioner effective January 14. 

During that same press conference, Scanlon said he did not ask Gramaglia to resign, but instead Gramgalia submitted his resignation freely following a conversation between the two to discuss “philosophies related to policing and priorities of my administration when it comes to policing and public safety.” He also said the department was “better for” Gramaglia’s service.  

Scanlon said he’ll present Wright’s name to the Common Council for confirmation. “I just can’t speak more highly of Deputy Commissioner Wright. I think his philosophies when it comes to policing, the priorities he has when it comes to policing, align very closely with mine.”  

When asked about what caused Gramaglia to resign, Scanlon said that Gramgalia has been focused on serious and violence crimes, “but we need to make an emphasis on our nuisance crimes as well. We need to make sure we’re paying attention to quality of life and how some of these crimes are impacting quality of life throughout our neighborhods, with our residents, with our small businesses.”