Articles for Investigative Post staff

Jun 26

2020

DA wants out of police brutality case

Erie County District Attorney John Flynn has requested that his office be recused in an investigation to determine whether two Buffalo police officers – Ronald Ammerman and Michael Scheu – should be criminally charged for using excessive force, Investigative Post has learned. Sources told Investigative Post that Flynn’s office is making the argument there is a conflict of interest because it’s also prosecuting Quentin Suttles, a man arrested during the incident. Suttles was charged with tampering with evidence as well as resisting arrest and obstruction of governmental administration and two traffic infractions. Multiple videos of Suttles’ May 10 arrest[...]

Posted 5 years ago

Jun 26

2020

Ingersoll talks police on the radio

Ali Ingersoll has had a busy week covering police-related issues, producing stories involving the arrest of protesters in Niagara Square, demonstrators in front of Mayor Byron Brown’s house, and the filing of a legal action against the Police Department involving an altercation last month with Quentin Suttles. She spoke Friday morning with WBEN and WBFO about her reporting. Give a listen. WBEN interview with Susan Rose and Brian Mazurowski. WBFO interview with Mark Scott.

Posted 5 years ago

Jun 25

2020

Ali Ingersoll tells WGRZ about brutality claim

Ali Ingersoll spoke with Michael Wooten and Maryalice Demler on WGRZ about a May 10 altercation between two white Buffalo police officers and an African American man who filed a notice of claim Thursday alleging brutality. As Investigative Post previously reported, Quentin Suttles, 30, was pulled over by Officers Ronald Ammerman and Michael Scheu as he drove the wrong way down a one-way street by East Eagle and Madison streets. The stop escalated into a tussle between Suttles and the officers, and a witness shot a video that showed Ammerman repeatedly punching Suttles in the face. Suttles, who suffered a broken[...]

Posted 5 years ago

Jun 24

2020

Mayor skedaddles when protesters approach

Donald Trump fled to a bunker in the basement of the White House earlier this month when protesters rallied in front of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Mayor Byron Brown did him one better tonight when he fled in a police car when a group of about 70 protesters began marching down his street. Our Ali Ingersoll was taping the march. Here’s what she recorded and posted on Twitter. Police were waiting outside the mayor’s house when the group arrived and the mayor was escorted out. pic.twitter.com/T5qO6HLzhd — Ali Ingersoll (@Ali_IngNews) June 25, 2020 You can view Ingersoll’s complete Twitter feed of[...]

Posted 5 years ago

Jun 24

2020

Police arrest Niagara Square protesters

Buffalo Police today arrested 13 protesters who had been occupying Niagara Square for a week and a half. The order to clear the square came directly from Police Commissioner Byron Lockwood, police spokesman Captain Jeff Rinaldo told Investigative Post. The arrests were made about 1 a.m. Wednesday, just hours before the department put in place a new policy to issue appearance tickets for low-level offenses rather than taking people into custody. Juan Santos, a protester who was arrested, spoke with Investigative Post, and said they were detained and held in Central Booking for nearly five hours before being issued appearance[...]

Posted 5 years ago

Jun 23

2020

Pandemic cited as child porn complaints spike

The COVID-19 pandemic has yet another dark side: child pornography complaints have doubled since March. The reason: children are home from school and frequently on their cell phones and other digital devices, making them more susceptible to overtures from predators. New York State Police report the number of complaints in March, April and May jumped from 1,339 last year to 2,640 for the same period this year. (No local data is available.) The increase is even more pronounced nationally, up from about 3 million last year to 7.7 million during the same period this year, according to the National Center[...]

Posted 5 years ago

Jun 8

2020

Ali Ingersoll discusses protests on WGRZ

Michael Wooten quizzed Ali Ingersoll Monday on her impressions of ongoing protests and the change demonstrators are seeking. She said demonstrations calmed down through the course of the week and that protestors are clear on the change they seek: major reform of the police department. Ingersoll also explained the dynamics of “defunding police,” which is an effort to recast how public safety services are delivered and reallocate resources accordingly. The New York Times published a good primer on it this evening. Calls to defund police departments are generally seeking spending cuts to police forces that have consumed ever larger[...]

Posted 5 years ago

Jun 5

2020

Victim of police shove a veteran activist

The protestor seen being shoved by two Buffalo Police officers is Martin Gugino, a 75-year-old long-time activist, known by many in the community. “He would want this information to get out so the story is more than ‘an elderly man was pushed down,’” said Terrance Bisson, a friend and activist with the Latin American Solidarity Committee. “He stands for something.” Gugino is said to be in stable but serious condition at Erie County Medical Center. “It would be typical of him to be speaking with someone, asking questions about why was this being done when it doesn’t have to be[...]

Posted 5 years ago