I am a current professional doctorate student studying at UB. I live in the surrounding south campus community where violence, robbery, and assault to students happen regularly and appear on the news. I have personally had my apartment burglarized within the past year. Having said that, I just committed a violation for driving with an expired registration that is less than 30 days out. I paid the fine and plea guilty because the officer that issued the fine was correctly doing his job for catching people like me.
I committed no moving violations, I was not texting, I was not intoxicated or driving in an irregular manner during the moments leading to my citation. The UB Officer was parked on the side of Winspear ave. as I drove by on my way to work. I did not think anything of it, other than noticing that he immediately did a u-turn after I passed his parked car. He proceeded to follow me as I travel down Bailey heading north for a few stoplights. I was then pulled over. I was courteous, pleasant, and acted in a professional manner to the UB officer. I was informed that I didn’t commit any moving violations but that the officer ran my license plate and found that my registration just expired.
How the UB officer has time to follow every car he sees and checks their plate records in an area of high crime rates is beyond me. Was it the Honda Civic I was driving? Was it suspicious that I was driving according to all traffic rules and regulations? Is the officer serving the best interest of the public/students in this high crime area by taking his time to follow violators like me? Was it racial profiling that I happen to be Asian? Or maybe giving the $128 dollar ticket continues to fund crime prevention work in the community? Please note that I now feel that crime in this area continues to be high because of the work (or not) that goes on by the UB police in their LACK of crime prevention strategies.
I live not that far from there, in Amherst just past Eggert and Winspear. They have never bothered me but I am obviously not a student.
As far as the crime, UB police aren’t really responsible for that off campus. Had a break in myself and they got my ipad, could of had more but dog went apeshit.
He is below means to live anywhere nice in the city so this is his way to feel OK about that. Best off ignoring it. (IB4hesaysothercitiesarenicer and IB4hewouldn’tlivethereanyhow)
If it makes you feel better they impounded my touareg for expired inspection. That is the most frustrating shit I have ever had to deal with. A ticket would have been fine. Oh and they would not release the vehicle from impound it had to be towed away because it was not legal. so I got hit for a tow, storage, and a tow again… Fuck you buffalo.
