Top iPost story: Cost of police misconduct

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The cost to city taxpayers of police misconduct — $11.9 million in legal settlements since 2015 — has been selected by readers as Investigative Post’s best story of 2020.

The story by Phil Gambini cited 16 settlements that cost the city treasury up to $4.5 million to settle. Most involve excessive use of force or negligent driving. In addition, the July 16 story reported four ongoing lawsuits seeking damages for alleged police misconduct.

Reported Gambini:

The court orders and settlements have fiscal implications for a city struggling to close budget deficits, as well. Buffalo has spent $5.3 million on settlements in the past year-and-a-half alone.

The story edged out, by one vote, another piece by Gambini that documented excessive spending by the Western Regional Off Track Betting Corp. on tickets, food and beverages to Bills and Sabres games and concerts.

Here’s the final tally:

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Gambini joined Investigative Post in December 2019 from the Niagara Gazette. He joins previous winners including Marsha McLeod for her 2019 story on discriminatory ticketing practices in Buffalo, and Daniela Porat’s 2018 investigation into the drowning death of Buffalo police diver Craig Lehner.

Investigative Post staff