Department of Public Safety

Dino Marrocco, Director of Public Safety

Lackawanna City Hall
714 Ridge Road, Room 101
Lackawanna, NY 14218

Office: 827-6418
Email: publicsafety@lackny.com

The Department of Public Safety consists of the following divisions:

Police Department  (Front Desk Phone # 822-4900)

Confidential Tip Line: 716-827-6665

Fire Department 

Animal Control

Comment/Compliment/Complaint Form
988 NATIONAL SUICIDE & CRISIS LIFELINE

On Saturday, July 16, 2022, a new 988 National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline was implemented across the United States. This is a FREE service available to everyone.

Anyone who is experiencing mental health distress – including thoughts of suicide, a substance-use crisis or emotional distress – can connect with a trained crisis counselor simply by calling or texting 988. Interpretation services are available in over 150 languages.*

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH A MENTAL HEALTH MATTER, CALL OR TEXT 988 IMMEDIATELY.

* Source: NYS Office of Mental Health website.

The Definitive Guide To Car Seat Safety For Kids

City of Lackawanna Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative Plan

In response to New York State Executive Order No. 203, the City of Lackawanna has developed a Police Reform and Collaborative Plan. The deadline for submitting this plan to NYS is April 1, 2021.

A copy of the plan is available for public review on the City of Lackawanna website at http://lackawannany.gov/…/LACKAWANNA-POLICE-REFORM-DOCUMENT…

Any questions or comments can be directed to Lackawanna Public Safety Director John Wolf by email at publicsafety@lackny.com or phone at 716-827-6418.

As part of the “New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative”, you are invited to participate in the attached survey. Your input is greatly appreciated as we create new strategies and methods to improve service for all citizens.

https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLScT4mC6KXez146Rq…/viewform…

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM LACKAWANNA DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SAFETY JOHN WOLF REGARDING THE RANDOM ACT OF VIOLENCE INVOLVING CITY EMPLOYEE RJ BEVILACQUA

On Saturday, August 1, 2020, the Buffalo News featured a front page story regarding an unfortunate random act of violence involving Lackawanna Department of Public Works employee RJ Bevilacqua, which occurred in the 1500 block of Abbott Road near West Elmview the morning of June 1, 2020.

We’re deeply saddened and concerned by this event and all in the City of Lackawanna are fully supportive of Mr. Bevilacqua and his family during this difficult time. That said, several statements in the Buffalo News article were inaccurately portrayed based on information Mr. Bevilacqua provided, which I want to clarify here:

• LACKAWANNA POLICE & CITY OFFICIALS DID NOT HIDE AN ACTIVE SHOOTER SITUATION FROM THE PUBLIC

Lackawanna Police Officers responding to the 911 call determined from canvassing nearby buildings and properties that Mr. Bevilacqua was the victim of a random act of violence involving a pellet gun, not an active shooter with a .22 caliber weapon as Mr. Bevilacqua claimed upon admission to ECMC and in the article.

This canvass activity included an immediate and thorough search of the building Mr. Bevilacqua indicated to our officers as the one where he believed he saw the alleged shooter close a window. No persons, weapons or shell casings of any nature were found at that location. In addition, witnesses interviewed at the scene did not hear gunfire and no persons, weapons or shell casings of any nature were found in the other canvassed buildings or near/on the DPW sanitation vehicle Mr. Bevilacqua was working on that day.

If this was determined to be an active shooter situation, our tactical response – including closing off the area and notifying the public through a variety of channels – would have been immediate. While we take single, random acts of violence very seriously, they occur more frequently and typically our investigation of such crimes is not publicized unless necessary.

• MR. BEVILACQUA’S CLAIM OF BEING SHOT WITH A .22 CALIBER WEAPON IS INCONSISTENT WITH A STATEMENT AND INFORMATION HE PROVIDED TO A LACKAWANNA POLICE DETECTIVE.

Upon being interviewed at ECMC, Mr. Bevilacqua stated to our detective that he was hit with a .177 pellet. Lackawanna Police are also in possession of an X-ray Mr. Bevilacqua provided which shows the fragment lodged in his lower back to be consistent with a pellet and not a .22 caliber bullet.

Again, the notion that Mr. Bevilacqua was hit by a .22 caliber bullet as stated in the article is based on his self-reported condition upon admission to ECMC and not validated by any physical or other evidence.

• MR. BEVILACQUA’S EMPLOYMENT WITH THE CITY OF LACKAWANNA WAS NOT THREATENED BY ANYONE.

The article further states Mr. Bevilacqua was recently included in a multi-party phone call involving Mayor Annette Iafallo, Council President Frederic Marrano and DPW Commissioner Anthony DeSantis. While it’s true this call occurred, in no way was Mr. Bevilacqua’s employment with the City threatened.

The call to Mr. Bevliacqua resulted after Mayor Iafallo and others received word that Mr. Bevilacqua had gone to the Buffalo News, with the intent of confirming what they were told. This situation was disappointing as the current City administration went out of their way to aid Mr. Bevilacqua, including providing him with a job when he was having difficulty finding employment.

As this single, random act of violence perpetrated against Mr. Bevilacqua with a pellet gun is both an ongoing police and personnel matter, we will have no further comment until such time as the perpetrator is apprehended.

If anyone has any information about this crime, please contact the Lackawanna Police at 716-822-4900.

Disaster Coordination and the use of CivicReady

The Director of Public Safety is also the disaster coordinator for the city.  For more information on what you can do to better prepare for disasters please go to https://www.ready.gov/

The Director of Public Safety urges residents and businesses to sign up for CivicReady the City’s Mass Notification System, an emergency notification system that allows emergency officials to notify residents and businesses by telephone, cell phone, text message, and email regarding time-sensitive general and emergency notifications. 

 Lackawanna: Mass Notification System | CivicReady 

Sign up to be notified of emergencies in Lackawanna by clicking the picture below to sign up for the City of Lackawanna – Public Notification System.

The City of Lackawanna has partnered with CivicPlus® the creators of CivicReady to implement its mass notification software. By partnering with CivicPlus, Lackawanna will be able to issue urgent notifications, emergency instructions, warnings, and routine communications to subscribed residents via email, text message, and voicemail to keep people safe and informed. In a local emergency, community members subscribed to the CivicPlus system will benefit from immediate, actionable information and instructions sent via their preferred notification channel.

The CivicPlus Mass Notification software also integrates with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Integrated Public Alert Warning System (IPAWS). The IPAWS system leverages national emergency communication channels, such as the Emergency Alert System (EAS), NOAA weather radios, digital road signage, and television broadcasts, to provide area-specific alerts in times of emergency. By integrating its CivicPlus Mass Notification system with IPAWS, Lackawanna will be able to reach as many people as possible during an emergency event, including those who have not opted-in to text, phone, or email communications, as well as travelers and visitors in the area.

“CivicPlus is built on designing innovative solutions for local governments,” said Cari Tate, CivicPlus Solutions Director. “We continually invest in our products, such as our Mass Notification software, to strengthen and transform how governments serve and communicate with their residents. We are proud to partner with the City of Lackawanna to help them accomplish their public safety goals.”