Quality Of Life Clean Sweeps Wrap Up Award Winning Year

As Mayor Byron W. Brown’s Save Our Streets Task Force wrapped up a record number of Clean Sweeps, the successful program put the City in the spotlight as Buffalo was recently named to American City & County® magazine’s list of the 2007 “America’s Crown Communities.”  American City & County presents the awards annually in recognition of outstanding leadership in local government. 

“Our Save Our Streets Task Force worked diligently and with great dedication in every neighborhood to improve the quality of life for Buffalo’s residents, and I am very pleased that their hard work this year has been recognized and honored by American City & County® magazine,” said Mayor Brown.  “Since taking office my Administration has focused on quality of life issues throughout the City. Our Zero Tolerance Crime plan, the Save Our Streets program, its Task Force, and the regularly scheduled Clean Sweeps have all played an important role in reducing crime, cleaning up neighborhoods and restoring residents’ confidence in their city government.”

According to American City & County Magazine®, Buffalo was “…recognized for its Save Our Streets Campaign to eliminate crime, vacant buildings and drug houses while expanding human services.” 

This year, the Save Our Streets Clean Sweep Task Force conducted 19 Clean Sweeps, going into each City Council district to address blight and quality of life issues.  As a result of this year’s record number of Clean Sweeps, 35 drug houses were identified and shut down, 11 homes were identified for demolition, 424 homes were baited for rodents, 174 tons of debris were removed, trees were trimmed, close to 200 smoke detectors were given to residents who did not have them, over 550 code violations were discovered and addressed, and the Junior Impact Team (comprised of city youth ages 14-24) was also deployed to help with the smaller trash removals. 

Housed within the Division of Citizen Services, the Save Our Streets Task Force is comprised of various law enforcement and government agencies, including the City of Buffalo’s Law Department, Buffalo Police Department, Buffalo Sewer Authority, Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority, Buffalo Division of Youth, City of Buffalo Division of Permit and Inspection Services, Buffalo Employment and Training Center, National Grid, Time Warner Cable, National Fuel, Erie County District Attorney’s Office, NYS Attorney General’s Office, U.S. Marshall’s Office, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the United States Attorney’s Office. 

The charge of the Task Force is to empower residents in the community and improve the quality of life in the City of Buffalo by ridding residential neighborhoods of drug activity and blighted properties in a collaborative manner.