Buffalo Mayor Discusses Police Chief Hiring Process

Buffalo Mayor Shane Schrader, in a recent interview, discussed the process for hiring the new police chief and why he was selected over 30 other candidates, including some that were local.

He talks about why he felt there were so many applicants, and from so many different areas of the country, and the world.

County Attorney Tucker Ruby, former Mayor Mike Johnson, City Councilman John Camino and Schrader, as a selection committee, weeded through the 31 applicants and narrowed it down to five candidates that were interviewed for the position.

Ultimately the decision was made to hire Sean Bissett as the new chief of police, whose experience came from working in the Baltimore, Maryland Police Department.

Schrader said the fact that Bissett came from a large, metropolitan police department was a positive, citing his experience in dealing with many issues that Buffalo may have to deal with, just not on such a grand scale.

Schrader said Bissett could train the local officer to recognize those issues and problems and deal with them faster, which would benefit the community.

Bissett took over the Buffalo Police Department after he was sworn in last Tuesday.