Niagara Police Can Now Buy New Cars With Gambling Proceeds

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (Associated Press) — A western New York police department can start shopping for patrol vehicles for the first time in five years now that casino gambling payments have been received from the Seneca Nation of Indians.

The Niagara Gazette reports that the Niagara Falls City Council has approved a measure seeking the allocation of $513,000 in casino revenues to buy 19 new police cars. The move will allow the cash-strapped city to essentially replace its entire fleet of overworked police cruisers.

Many departments in Niagara Falls held off on buying new equipment during the four-year period when the Senecas withheld casino revenue payments to host cities over a long-running dispute with the state.

Last summer, an agreement reached between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Seneca officials released $89 million to the city of Niagara Falls.